Asian Photography - May 2015 in

The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and it’s even bigger this time!
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www.asianphotographyindia.com
MAY 2015
` 100 US$9
Vol. 27 - No.05
TIPS & TECHS
10 SHOTS
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Every Travel
TRAVEL Photographer
PHOTOGRAPHY Must Click
WITH PROS All about
SHOOT MY CITY Panoramas
Ratnagiri Choosing a
Destination
EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS
Guide to getting
SanDisk iXpand a perfect
Honor 6 Plus star trail
Go Pro!
Exclusive
Nikon
D7200
Travel, travel and some more travel
Submissions open for Artistique 2015 contest (Read Page 18-19)
The summer is here, and with the scorching heat and humidity, it also brings
the opportunity to explore great places. With most schools and colleges
EDITOR / PUBLISHER commencing their summer vacations this month, families make trips during this
Trilok Desai
period. So if you are one of those and also a photography enthusiast, then you
GROUP HEAD would enjoy each and every page of this month’s issue. And if you are planning
Bhavya Desai
a trip in the near future then it will give you some great information on several
DIRECTOR MARKETING destinations.
Aruna Desai
SENIOR As you might have already guessed by now, this month we have circled the
CORRESPONDENTS theme of the issue around travel photography. We have gone to great lengths
Fred Shippie to carefully think about the content in the magazine and come up with a
Lester Ledesma
combination of articles that will most benefit those who are travelling this season.
NEW DELHI BUREAU Not only have we lined up the content on these lines, but also have some of the
Amitabh Joshi
Toprit Saifi best travel photographers from the globe to provide you with some great tips on
Palak Sharma shooting great pictures.
EDITORIAL TEAM
Abhishek Desai Some of the articles that you must read in this issue include ‘10 Shots Every
Ushma Dhamdhere BHAVYA DESAI Travel Photographer Must Click’, ‘Choosing a Destination’, ‘Guide to getting
Souradeep Roy perfect Star trail’, ‘Travel Portraits’ among others. In fact, we even have a travel
Purva Damle
feature in the mobile section of the magazine.
SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT Apart from this we also have a great review section this month, with a cross
Lopamudra Ganguly (Delhi)
section of products from the industry. The complete section is of Exclusive
DESIGN Reviews, which includes the Nikon D7200, the recently launched Honor 6 Plus
Goraksh Kokate
smartphone and the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive.
Rajendra Gaikwad
MANAGER ADVERTISING Starting this month, the submissions for Artistique 2015 are also open for the
Laila Rupawalla
readers. Make sure that you see the creative, which provides all the information
DY. MANAGER in this edition. We have a beautiful exhibit lined up for this edition and if you were
ADVERTISING to make it to the finals then it will be something completely worth it.
Kora Ganguly
MARKETING EXECUTIVE Lastly, as I type this, there has been the tragedy of the earthquake in Nepal,
Ragini Desai
Mamata Bhide and the aftershocks felt in India. Our heart goes out to all the people that have
Indu Lekha suffered in this catastrophe, and hope and pray that everyone is safe and that
Hashim Khatri things are restored swiftly. May god give you and your family strength in this
Nikhil Kalyanpad difficult time.
Nishant Sharma (Delhi)
Ritesh Thakkar (Delhi)
Until Next Time….
COPY DESK
Sameer Gadkari Happy Reading!!!!
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Manoj Surve
w w w. a s i a n p h o t o g r a p h y i n d i a . c o m The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and it’s even bigger this time!
JOIN US ON
Published by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt.
MAY 2015
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Ltd., 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road,
Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA
MUMBAI OFFICE: Vol. 27 - No.05
Printed by TRILOK DESAI on behalf of Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd.,
509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, TIPS & TECHS
509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, Andheri
(W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA
Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road, 10 SHOTS
TIPS FROM THE PROS
Every Travel Printed at Indigo Press India Pvt Ltd, Plot No 1 C/716, Off Dadoji Konddeo Cross
Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. TRAVEL Photographer
Road, Between Sussex & Retiwala Industrial Estate, Byculla, Mumbai, Published
PHOTOGRAPHY Must Click
Tel: 91-22-40401919 WITH PROS All about at 509 & 511, Dilkap Chambers, Fun Republic Street, Off Veera Desai Road,
Panoramas
Fax: 91-22-40401927 SHOOT MY CITY
Ratnagiri Choosing a Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. INDIA Editor - TRILOK DESAI.
E-mail: info@sapmagazines.com EXCLUSIVE REVIEWS
Destination
Guide to getting All material covered by copyright; No part of the contents of this journal may be
SanDisk iXpand a perfect
Honor 6 Plus star trail
published or reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission
DELHI OFFICE: SINGAPORE OFFICE: Go Pro! of the publisher. The views and opinons expressed by the authors do not
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Exclusive
Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd. and ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND

Tel: 91-011-26863028/26532568 E-mail: k_ganguly@sapmagazines.com Nikon
D7200
IMAGING is not responsible and liable for any comments and articles published by
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MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com 3

 MAY 2015
News Tips and Techs

• 4-150mm Tamron F/3.5-5.8 Di III named Best CSC Entry
40 10 Shots Every Travel Photographer Must Click
Level Lens at the TIPA Awards 2015
• LEOMASTER launches new privacy protection app: LEO 48 All about Panoramas
Privacy Guard 2.0
54 Choosing a Destination
• Canon India visions 100 Crore revenue by expanding its
Product Portfolio in Projection 60 Guide to getting a perfect star trail
• Sony launches Xperia Z4 in Japan 66 Go pro!
70 Travel Portraits
16 Ask Your Expert
74 How to protect your camera
Tips from the Pros 78 Mobile Travel Photography
Tips from The pros
TRaVel pHoToGRapHY
WITH PROS
This month we spoke to three travel photographers from around the world who told
us about their journey around the world. From American photographer’s Gary Arndt’s Tips & Techs
stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velasco’s sharp eye for capturing travel portraits, good sense of composition is also a must. your hotel, explore! Ask people around for the light. In seashores and mountains the
10 shots
to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj Paul’s knack of shooting the colourful Amateurs always get confused as to how good vantage points that might make a good light changes constantly, and good lighting
essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers much of the sky or ground to include in a landscape photograph. The locals are your can make a great photograph! Some hotels
talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of frame. Have a reason for everything that best hope to find amazing vantage point and also provide you with interesting vantage
is in your frame and why you chose to it has worked for me a lot of times. Even if points, especially if they’re facing
preparation goes into it. include it. While travelling, do not sit in you are in your hotel, keep an eye out for
every travel photographer

Why your interest in travel
photography over other genres?
I travel for a living. I don’t have a home and
live on the road 365 days a year. If it wasn’t
for travel, I probably wouldn’t be interested
in photography at all.
Galapagos Islands, and many of the national
parks in the United States, Canada, and
Australia.
What sort of preparation is required

for travel photography?
must click 2 PeoPle/
Portrait
This is one of the most widely taken
photo category by most travelling
photographers. India is a huge
country in terms of size and it
has a diverse culture. With area
people’s facial features, culture,
dressing sense and language
changes. A portrait without a
doubt captures at least two of
I think, there is very little preparation Summer is right around the corner and photographers are particularly excited about it! It’s no surprise

the above mentioned things if
Which are some of your favourite required. You should certainly do some that every photographer is planning a trip or two this holiday season. But for beginners and for semi
not more. People portraits are
locations to photograph? research on a location before venturing, professionals who have never taken on travel photography before this is a good opportunity to take
interesting and fun to shoot.
Some of my favourite places to photograph but much of what I do is very spontaneous. their cameras out and go crazy. But questions like “What do I shoot?”, “What would make a good travel
And what better way to meet
are the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Most travel photography is done with photograph?”, “What kinds of photographs can I expect?” keep cropping up. this article is aimed to
GaRY Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the natural lighting and on location, so there is answer these questions in details and to clear the air about travel photography and name ten must have
shots while travelling.
new people! To create a good
portrait you need to keep a
aRNDT few things in mind. A portrait

is not just a photograph of a
face. There are a few things
Having visited all seven continents, that you need to keep in mind
over 170 countries and territories while shooting portraits and
around the world, every Us state
people shots in general. Firstly
and territory, every canadian
province, every australian state and make sure the background is not
territory, over 125 Us National park cluttered. If the background has
service sites and over 285 UNesco too many disturbing elements
World Heritage sites, Gary arndt is then the photographs loses its
no novice to travel photography.
This american photographer charm as the eye tends to get
sold his house in 2007 and has distracted from the subject very
been travelling the world and easily. If it is a tight portrait where

photographing it ever since. He is most of the frame is occupied
known for his dynamic travel shots
and has been published across the by the face try to use depth of
world. Gary has won numerous field to your advantage and keep
awards, including the prestigious the background out of focus if
Gold Medal, Travel photographer it is uninteresting. Try keeping
of the Year, society of american
Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel colourful backgrounds as it adds
photographer of the Year, North to the image. Find interesting
american Travel journalists faces and expressions just don’t
association in 2013. randomly shoot portraits, wait in
a place and look for people with
distinct characteristics say, a nose
ring, wrinkles from old age, blue
34 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com may 2015 35
eyes or even a beautiful smile.
1
Portraits can be very interesting
Photo: amlan Sanyal
if a little of the environment is

added to it as well. These are
landscaPe called environmental portraits
and these can say a lot about
people and their profession
One of the most important photos to neglected by photographers. A must have area. Nature itself unfurls its beauty in or lifestyle. Documentary
Photo: amlan Sanyal
take during a vacation and while travelling, in your travel album, landscapes are the ways that a photographer has to do little photographers tend to shoot a
Shoot My City
landscapes is one of the main reasons we easiest to shoot. Landscape photography to make the photo look good. If you are lot of environmental portraits.
all travel. Mountains, rivers, seas or forests essentially means shooting photographs of a serious photographer, then carry a wide
– a beautiful landscape scene cannot be natural beauty in a vast or even a smaller lens, tripod, neutral density filters etc. A
40 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com May 2015 41
• Ratnagiri
Tips & Techs
Photo: DaviDe D’amico
All about
technique is used when a normal or a used in this digital age. With proper them. Here we will discuss them one
wide lens is not able to capture a scene techniques and proper equipments by one with examples and also talk
that needs a wider angle of view, for we can create high resolution about when to use them.
panoramas
example a mountain range spans for panoramas with the touch of a button! Wide angle Panoramas
kilometers and needs a much larger These panoramas essentially look
angle of view. With advancements Types of panoramas like normal wide angle shots in terms
in technology and improvements in There are four types of panoramas of length: breadth ratios and have a
cameras, panoramas are being widely and all have their own uniqueness to less than 180 degree angle of view.

S
ometimes a wide lens falls short

to capture the breathtaking
outdoors in terms of angle of
view. Sometimes we wish we could
see what the eye sees. An eye, no
doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and
cannot be duplicated in any camera.
However, what we can do is make
a panorama. We actually can stitch
two or more photographs to increase
the angle of view and somewhat
replicate or even go beyond the angle
of view of our eye! In this article we
discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a
panorama. So the next time you are
travelling and you need to shoot a
panorama, this article might help!
Photo: masakazu matsumoto - flickr
WhaT is panorama/
panoramic
Photo: roberto ferrari
phoTography?
Panorama photography is the art
of taking several pictures of a particular
scene and then stitching them to form
a single picture of the said scene. This

Tips & Techs

TIPS & TECHS
Choosing a
destination Go pro!
T
his time of the year is when you must to swim against the current. You will have to course there are destinations like the wildlife
Y
be planning for a vacation, and it’s not choose a destination which would give you sanctuaries, and then the areas which are ou must have recently seen a small little
new that you would be struggling to the moody shots and the best photographs snow covered during the actual summers. camera on the shoulder, on the head or
get decide on the best destinations. While in the vacation season. Why go with the The timings get locked, because that is how on the bar handle of a bike; that very
seasons play an important part in travel, flow always and just hit the shores or hills nature works and we are quite helpless. teeny-tiny camera is the GoPro. It has taken
we are talking about vacations, so only the when it’s a little extreme and not the usual. Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty adventure photography and travel photography
summers and the winters would be the Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events mountains and green grasslands are to a completely different level. While GoPro
major seasons. The hill stations and the coming up in the vacation is anyways like adjectives for our compositions.
makes the news only for its videos, the
highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, disturbing. Even in the frames! Accessorising these frames are cherry on
photographs out of this petite camera can beat
Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many Generally, during the summers one the cake and your luck might be just good
your favourite DSLRs with wide lenses.
more, of course have their holidays during would head to the hill stations and during enough to have the perfect light, and
the rainy season and they just look fabulous the winters one would go to the coastal you are on a role for your vacation to be With GoPro’s user-friendly features, quick
during that time. areas. It’s been like this for ages. What if we photographed just aptly. response, water resistance, compact size, and
Every destination shows different break this thumb rule of travel and just do Every country in Asia has a diverse brilliant output, a surfer, travel photographer or
moods according to the seasons. If you some walking against the wind; to capture population, as well as diverse natural even a rider wouldn’t ask for more. Carrying a
want to get that edge, then, you will have our vacation in a much different way. Of conditions, from the Himalayas to the DSLR in the water and shooting with it is not
the easiest task. However, with the GoPro,
dipping in the water to swim, snorkel or scuba
dive and shoot images is easy.
GoPro would probably be less of a camera,
and more so it becomes become a part of
your body. You can carry it along by just start
strapping around any moving objects and get

some brilliant out of the box results. The new
GoPro Hero 4 black edition is making news
and people around are investing, in what is
probably the best possible equipment in the

current lot of action adventure cameras.
A camera with so many great features,
one can just work around the few negatives
and work towards making the shot turn out to
be better. There are other companies offering
similar type of cameras like Contour, Drift HD,
but battling with them, GoPro still remains in
the lead. The little camera gets out the best
shot with its super ultra wide lens. It gives us
the creative edge by getting the distortion.
Take it anywhere absolutely anywhere,
in busy markets, on streets or even dip it
into the waters. A camera which lets you go
underwater, straps around your shoulder, sticks
on to the helmet or even can be hanged on a
side street pole for getting the overview of the
entire busy street of that city of yours can give
you jaw dropping shots.
The camera can get you weird reactions
from people who see it for the first time
strapped across your chest. Capturing such
54 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

TIPS & TECHS
TIPS & TECHS
Photo: Ushma Dhamdhere

Travel Portraits

W
hile travelling during a vacation documenting; if not words, a smile would background. This can really help the face
one of the major things that you do too. It might only be a momentary one you’re shooting to pop out and capture the
end up shooting are portraits. - a glance in the street - or you may have viewer’s attention.
Portraits of people travelling with you, asked the person to pose for you. In travel Framing - Some of the best shots we
local people, they are an essential add-on photography you’re often communicating have come across of people while travelling
Guide to getting a perfect to your picture series, if you are planning

on documenting the place you are visiting
across language barriers, but respect is
universal, so always put that into action. If
have been tightly framed people’s faces.
This means either getting in nice and close
Startrail
thoroughly. you sense hesitation or hostility, smile and to the person, or having and using a good
Connect: Connecting with locals, move on. Don’t stand there and wait for zoom lens.
indulging in a light conversation with them them to look away – it’s annoying and can Subject: Most of the shots we’ve taken of
always works. We feel the most powerful also land you up in trouble. people over the years while travelling have
E
very day we come across a getting one perfect shot, you need to portraits are those in which the subjects are Background: Think about what’s in been of single subjects alone in the shot.
number of outstanding star trail spend sleepless night to get the shots, looking straight at the camera or the one’s the background behind the people you’re This is partly just a normal style of most of
Photo: aMIT vaKIL
images all over the internet and a lot of research and planning goes into completely candid – there’s no in between. photographing. Ideally, you want something the travelling photographers, but adding a
Photo: Abhishek Desai
on other platforms however getting it. Here are a few points that we have Looking at such compositions you can feel that’s not too distracting but that adds to second person into an image takes a photo
these shots is not an easy task because jotted down to help you get a perfect (as a viewer) as though the person is looking the context of the place you’re shooting to a different place. No long is the shot just
a lot of time and effort can go into startrail exposure. straight out of the photograph at you. To in. Another technique for shooting shots about a person and their environment but it
achieve this, you generally need some of people that ignores the ‘contextual’ rule somehow becomes relational. The viewer
sort of connect with the person you are is to find a brightly lit position with a dark of the photo begins to wonder about the
may 2015 71
Camera Reviews Smart Phone Review

Nikon D7200 Honor 6 Plus
 
92 Photoscape
96 Photomontage  
Feedback Readers’ Comments and Suggestions...
The
Letter
of the month will
receive a gift
from Uniross
Hello,
I am a reader of the magazine and I am very glad to see such a wonderful
magazine is published here. I never knew about it until I got to see an issue of it in the market and
bought it recently. Going through your whole magazine I got to see the sections PHOTOSCAPE
and PHOTO MONTAGE in which you published the entries and portfolio of amateur as well as
professional photographers.
I too have a great interest in Wildlife, Architecture and Street photography and so want to
get my photos or portfolio published in your magazine. I would like to know all the guidelines,
terms and conditions to get published in the magazine or any other contest/post/articles in
which you choose and publish photographs. I am just a budding photographer, started three
months ago and I hope you guys like my pictures.
Please reply with the information/terms and other details. I will be very grateful to you for this.
Thank you.
I am a resident of Delhi studying BFA from JMI,New Delhi.
Dear Anonymous,
Firstly you haven’t left your name in the message that you sent through our website. Anyways
it’s good to know that you liked the magazine and would like to send in your entries to the
readers section. The process is very simple. You can send in the entries and every month,
we select the sort of pictures that come in depending on what are the best ones and they get
featured. There are no terms and conditions except that if selected than we can publish the
same pictures.
It’s as simple as that. But yes, on a monthly basis we get thousands of entries so the
work that we feature has to be very good. So ensure that you send in your best images. As for
contests, the biggest one called Artistique has already started and you can log into our website
or Facebook page to see the details there.
Dear Editor,
I am a follower of your page and I read it regualrly. I am planning to organise a Borneo
PhotoFest and wanted to find out if AP would be interested to joining in as an event partner?
What we are looking for is very simple.
1. Grab 5-20 event joining
2. Contact local International Artists to have a concert tour as our fund and prizes are coming
from these concert tickets. The Tour would be in India, Borneo Island, Dhaka and Indonesia.
We are still awaiting the revert from Philipines and Brunei on waiting list for venue.
All the concerts will be managed by our team and ideally your team would have to supervise
the event and the auditing of tickets selling.
Hope to hear from you really soon.
Regards,
Fauzi Junaidi Ganggalan, Malaysia.
Dear Fauzi,
Thanks for your mail but I am little confused of what we are doing here. We will get in touch
with you and take a look closely about the information. But I am happy that we have followers
in Malaysia as well.
6 MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Feedback Readers’ Comments and Suggestions...
The
Letter
of the month will
receive a gift
from Uniross
Dear Sir,
Feedback
Hope you are good. I am a regular reader of your magazine
Readers’ Comments and Suggestions...

since the past few years and I wanted to ask a few questions about Artistique contest and
exhibition. I have been sending in entries for the past two years and they have been shortlisted
both the time but unfortunately they haven’t made it to the finals. I have also visited the exhibit
both the years in Mumbai and found it to be very interesting. The
Letter
I just wanted to know how is it that I can make it to the final categories so
ill
that my pictures can also be exhibited with the great photographers e monthatwthe
of thgrateful
exhibit? If you could guide me in that respect then I would be ce
re iv e a gift
since
I plan to shoot specially this year before I send in my entry. om Uniross
fr
Regs,
Mohit Thakur,
Mumbai
Dear Mohit, Dear Editor,

Well it is great to know that you I have have been reading your magazine for a while now and must comment that your team
been entering the initiative forbeenthe doing
last a great job. I have seen the simple and subtle changes that you have brought
two years, and also unfortunate that
and the fine balance that the magazine has been achieving lately.
after being shortlisted they haven’t
made it to the final rounds. But theI also factlike the reader columns like My Story, Ask Your Expert and Shoot My City. I am ha
are looking at sections in the magazine that make them more reader interactive and I thin
that they have made it to the shortlisting
rounds itself is commendable way becauseforward for any magazine. From the December issue I loved the interview of Dabboo
the sort of work that we have DSLRbeen shootout also provided a lot of valuable feedback on the cameras and their performa
receiving from the readers the is APjust
team renewed success and great year ahead.
phenomenal and beautiful. So ifRegards, you
have been getting the information Vishal from Shah
us that you have made the shortlisting Ahemdabad,Gujarat.
then you are surely doing something
right. But in order to get that pushDear overVishal,
you might have to push yourself aWe are always happy to know that the readers are appreciating our work since it take
little
more. to put all the things together. Apart from the same I also have a great team that works rea
So the manner in which ensurethe that we keep that fine balance in our content going.
selection of the final images is done
In the months to come you will see some more initiatives that are reader driven so th
is by a jury who goes through each
engage more of the readers and also interact with them on a regular basis.
and every image carefully. As a jury
member I can speak for myself and one of the things that I look for in an image is its content.
Ideally since most of us are in thisDear industry
Editor, we don’t get moved by a picture that we have seen
on a regular basis. Its more moving I want see
to something
to convey my thanksnew
and in terms
regards of the
to you content my
for reviewing since each
photos in the link tha
jury member are influenced by Itheir own perspectives.
express my gratitude for providing me with your most valuable feedback and reviews on
So it is a very vigorous process
promise thatthat
is Iundertaken to see
will practice more what makes
on shooting it toand
techniques thetryfito
nalimprove
rounds.my compositi
Also this is the first year whereyourwe advice
have introduced
I have alreadyastarted
themetoto the categories
experiment in subjects
on different order toand make
I am getting be
the exhibition a very cohesive unit, when it comes to the look of it. So for this year it is entirely
upto the photographer’s interpretation However, ofI want to improve
the theme mythe
and compositional
images that skills and
he give my pictures
submits in thea more profe
I am currently using a Nikon Coolpix L110 camera and looking forward to buy a DSLR afte
categories that he decides to enter.
In fact if you have decided to12. It would
shoot be very
for the kind ofthis
contest you year
to provide
thenme,
it’sasa well
veryasgood
the readers,
idea andtips may
on composition
take up the subject.
be that is something that might be the extra edge that could push you to the finals.
Regards,,
Sabyasachi Talukdar
8 MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com Nagaon, Assam
NEWS
4-150mm Tamron F/3.5-5.8 Di III

named Best CSC Entry Level Lens at
the TIPA AWARDS 2015
T
amron has announced that the Delivering an impressive (equivalent)
company’s first high-power focal length range of 28-300mm, the
zoom lens designed for Micro lens weighs a mere 285g (10.1 oz)
Four Thirds mirrorless interchangeable- with a 80.4mm (3.16 inches) in length
lens cameras, the 14-150mm F/3.5-5.8 (unextended). Constructed of 17
Di III (Model C001), has been named elements in 13 groups, the lens has
best CSC entry level lens at the TIPA an impressive close focusing distance
AWARDS 2015. of 0.5 metres (1.64 feet) and contains
According to an excerpt from the AD (Anomalous Dispersion) glass as
Award citation of the TIPA Jury, “CSC well as hybrid aspherical and LD (low
cameras promise a lighter and more dispersion) elements. An IF (internal
portable photographic experience. In focussing) system means the lens does
line with this approach, Tamron has not extend during focussing. The lens
created a lightweight and compact MFT comes in both black and silver models to
(Micro Four Thirds) compatible lens. match the user’s camera body.”
LEOMASTER launches new privacy protection app: LEO Privacy Guard 2.0
L
EOMASTER has launched a brand her control over duration, location, as well video recorders, and media can be shared
new privacy protection app called as other presets. LEOMASTER introduces with the rest of the world in seconds. While
LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 that helps in an innovative way to categorise privacy it’s fun for the user to have the latest videos
securing both the mobile phone and the protection across several levels, and they and images at their fingertips, there are some
apps it contains. The app claims to have are: Dangerous, Vigilant, Normal, Good, and content that are not meant to be shared.
introduced incremental protection levels Perfect. The app makes recommendations LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 makes it easy for the
to match the needs of phone users better. for the appropriate privacy level according user to hide their personal photos and videos
The LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 app is available to the user’s conditions, so that they may and keeps them private.
on Google Play for free. According to the make an informed choice. Smartphones LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 reportedly also
app developers, the LEO Privacy Guard 2.0 have largely replaced traditional cameras and monitors the data usage, battery level, and
design philosophy emphasises simplicity and app installation status, keeping the user’s
utility. Main interface includes features like App relationship with his/her smartphone
Lock, Privacy Protection and Settings tabs, hassle-free. It also has a collection of design
where the user can see status and features. interfaces for the phone’s lock screen.
For example, under Privacy Protection, the
user can see the current protection level and
toggle privacy control for photos, videos,
messages, and call records.
The tremendous popularity of
smartphones has fuelled the rapid
development of the digital world. Digitimes
Research predicts that in 2015, there will
be over 14 billion smartphone users in the
world. As the smart phone market continues
to boom in South East Asia as well as Latin
America, social media and e-commerce
apps are vulnerable. LEO Privacy Guard
2.0 App Lock claims to allow the user to
anticipate multiple scenarios by giving him/

NEWS
Canon India visions 100 Crore revenue by

expanding its Product Portfolio in Projection
• Announces launch of nine projector
models with five LV-series and four
XEED series projectors.
• Debuts its proprietary short-throw
shiftable lens, LCOS and path breaking
eco-friendly technology.
• Packs the range with best in class
features that’s best suited for
simulation industry, large corporates,
education, medical and government.
• Aims to capture 10% market share
nationally by the year 2017.
Canon India ventured into the Indian picture for high quality image projection the XEED WX520, XEED WUX400ST
projector market with the launch of its and USB projection further compliment and the XEED WX450ST.
nine LV and XEED series projectors. The the trademark promise of Canon. The LV Series is the portable range of
new series is aimed at providing market- projectors are targeted at sectors like projectors utilising DLP BrilliantColor
leading image quality to fulfil the diverse large corporate, education, medical display technology to deliver rich, realistic
needs of customers like better projection and government. The XEED series of colour, 3000 lumens of brightness, a 2300:1
of images of precise colours; lower projectors can also be leveraged by the contrast ratio for pure black with depth
operational costs, ease-of-use and energy simulation industry. and dimension and filter-free operation.
efficiency. Canon said it is proud to introduce The projector in the Eco mode lowers the
Mr. Yasuhiko Hoshino, Senior General eco-friendly features, which include an cost of ownership and helps reduce power
Manager, Canon Inc. said, “We are excited enhanced lamp lighting system and a consumption by approximately 20 percent
to bring our globally leading projectors standby mode consuming only as low as while also lowering fan noise. These new
equipped with world-class technology and 0.7W (In Network Off Mode) thereby Canon projectors are also 3D-ready when
user-friendly features to customers in India. significantly reducing CO2 emissions. combined with an optional DLP-Link
The projectors offer quality and brightness These features add to environmental System and other accessories.
along with lower operating costs enabling reservation as well as help in reducing The XEED series have inbuilt Liquid
both businesses and end-users to deliver running cost, said Canon. Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology
optimum results at a minimum cost.” The LV series are equipped to which produces fine, detailed images
Mr. Kazutada Kobayashi, President offer lower cost of ownership due to without the lattice effect that is sometimes
and CEO, Canon India, said, “Projection longer lamp life and air filter-free design. seen on other projectors. LCOS
requirements of Indian customers have Its improved image quality, versatile technology and constant brightness
evolved over the years. Apart from being connectivity, simple and easy installation (between T-edge to W-edge at zoom) is
used for projecting data, customers are offers world-class experience to unique to Canon meeting users’ needs in
now using it to project movies, videos and customers, informed Canon. various situations.
games as well. The new Canon projectors Canon will be focusing on providing In addition to delivering exceptional
are equipped with high quality optics to product training to its employees and brightness and high-resolution
cater to such needs. We will be reaching channel partners. This will in turn help performance, the XEED-ST series
out to potential customers across all the them to educate customers and spread incorporate a short-throw shift able lens
major metros and aim to capture 10% awareness about the products. Canon which is capable of projecting a wide
market share by 2017.” has signed Ingram Micro as the National vertical range of approximately 75% to
Canon has also introduced its Distributor for volume products and 77% in addition to a horizontal range
proprietary LCOS (Liquid Crystal on will tie-up with AV integrated solution of approximately 10 % and that makes
Silicon) technology, used in XEED series, providers for high-end projectors. Canon possible effortless installation in a variety
which make possible projections that are will also have channel partner incentive of medium-range usage environments,
free of the “lattice effect,” a phenomenon program based on the demos. including classrooms and lecture halls.
in which a faint grid pattern appears over The series launched are LV-WX300, The new series of projectors are
the projected image. LV-X300, LV-S300, LV-WX300ST and ranging from MRP 40,750 to `50,0000.
The XEED series offers picture by LV-X300ST and the XEED WUX450 and - - Lopamudra Ganguly

NEWS
Sony launches The One School Goa adds

Xperia Z4 in Japan new three year degree
program in photography
T
he One School Goa, starting September 2015, will offer
students India’s first 3-year Degree Program in Photography
& Multimedia. While the programme is still pending statutory
approvals, officials at The One School Goa are confident of them
and are gearing up to receive their 1st batch of students to their new
Degree Program in September 2015.
The 3-year course offered by The One School Goa covers
S
ony has added another feather to their flagship smartphone both theory and hands on training. The course is designed to
cap recently as they quietly unveiled the new Sony Xperia Z4 accommodate changing dynamics of the industry. Through this
. Similar in design compared to Xperia Z3 the new Xperia course, The One School Goa lays emphasis on building a powerful
Z4 is packed with new features both in terms of hardware and and professional portfolio. The programme also reportedly gives
software. It also reportedly weighs less at 144g, compared to the time to students to acquire advanced skills and also develop their
Z3’s 152g. The Xperia Z4’s launch comes almost seven months minds in the fields of Photography & Multimedia. It is aimed to
after the Sony Xperia Z3 and is powered by an android lollipop enable students to get an understanding of the allied areas such as art
5.0 and has a 5.2 inch full HD triluminous display with the signature appreciation, film making, creative writing & marketing, thus making
X-reality mobile picture engine. The smartphone also boasts of a them a complete photographer, while at the same time offering
1.5 GHz processor and a whooping 3 GB RAM. Keeping mobile students the flexibility to choose their area(s) of specialisation.
phone photographers in mind the phone has a 32 Gb storage space In addition to the above, The One School Goa is also adding
and boasts of a 20.7 megapixel camera. The mobile is currently another new course to their existing curriculum - the Foundation in
limited to Japan and will not be available in all countries just yet. Visual Communication, which will last for a period of one year. The
The company has not yet come up with a press release regarding yearlong Foundation in Visual Communication course is designed to
it’s worldwide availability and speculations are being made that the introduce students to various forms of visual communication such
same will be released with a different name in other countries. as photography, multi-media, graphic design, sketching and painting.
The phone also reportedly received a IPX5/IPX8 equivalent According to The One School Goa, the rigorous course will provide
certification making the device waterproof and IP6X certification students with hands-on training from different faculty members who
making it dustproof. According to media reports, the smartphone specialise in each of the disciplines the course covers. The school
will be available in White, Black, Copper, Aqua Green. It measures believes that through this course students will get the opportunity to
146x72x6.9mm and weighs 144 grams. Connectivity features on develop their creative portfolios.
the Xperia Z4 includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi with hotspot, 3G, 4G LTE,
GPS/ A-GPS, Glonass, Micro-USB, DLNA, and NFC.
Asus Zenfone 2 launched in India starting at `12,999

A
sus has recently launched its much Zen UI that is built atop Android 5.0 Lollipop.
awaited ZenFone 2 series in India It features a 13MP rear camera with f/2.0
at price starting from `12,999. The aperture and 5MP front facing camera. It
company has launched four variants of the sports Real-Tone flash to ensure warm skin
phone, two of which are high-end. tones and accurate colours. All models get
The Asus ZenFone 2 ZE551ML has internal storage at 16GB. This variant will also expandable memory slot up to 64GB. The
two variants with 64GB and 32GB internal sport Full-HD display and comes packing an specs sheet also reveals dual-SIM and 4G
storage. Both the devices will have 4GB RAM inferior Intel Atom Z3560 processor clocked support, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom at 1.8GHz. This variant of ZE551ML will be and GloveTouch support.
Z3580 processor. The only difference is the sold at `14,999. The camera also features an enhanced
internal storage capacity. Both the phones will The company also launched another HDR mode and a blue glass infrared filter,
also have Full-HD display. The phones will be ZenFone 2 ZE550ML, with 720p display, helping shoot backlit scenes, such as sunset
sold at `22,999 and `19,999 respectively. 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage. It will be portraits. The camera’s zero shutter lag lets
Another variant of the ZenFone 2 sold at `12,999. users take photos instantly.
ZE551ML will have lower RAM at 2GB and All models run the new version of the - Toprit Saifi

Answered by
Bhavya Desai
Send in your Questions to
askyourexpert@asianphotographyindia.com Editor, Asian Photography
Dear Sir, Dear Suresh,

I have been reading the e-version of the We have forwarded your email to the relevant
magazine for a long time now and find it very department. But I will try and answer the ques-
interesting. But I have a question regarding tion to the best of my knowledge. Our e-version
the same. I wanted to get an access to the subscription module was designed way ahead of
older issues as well and wanted to know if I time, even before anyone else thought about some-
can download the past issues and keep them as thing like this.
archives. For security reasons they only provide access
Suresh Rajaram from the time that the e-versions have been
Singapore subscribed. But under your existing ID, it might be
difficult to provide access to the same since there
would not be any manner in which to backtrack
on the same ID.

Dear Sir,
Which is the best photography stream to
earn, and how to find a highly experienced
professional for the apprenticeship?
Syed
Hyderabad
Dear Syed,
There is no specific stream that you can enter
in order to earn more money. The way I see
it, if you are good then you will earn money
either ways. You can refer to our article last
month on different genres of photography to
see which one you like best.
As for the possibility of having an apprentice- In my experience, all good photographers are always
ship with a photographer, then the only way looking for good assistants, and if you are good at
is to check them out online and approach your work, then I don’t see any reason why anyone
them with your work. wouldn’t want to hire you.
Dear Sir,
I am new to reader to your magazine and till now
the experience has been very good. I am looking
for a good DSLR from Nikon. With your little
help I may develop my hobby better and I will be
very glad and grateful.
Chinmay Singh
Bhubaneswar
Dear Chinmay,
Good to know that you are enjoying the magazine.
Well, it is very difficult for me to sit here and suggest
a good camera, honestly. For the simple reason that
most of the products in the market are good, and I
have no idea what is it that you want to do, and what
is your budget like. So if I were you, I would ask
myself the following questions.
1. What would I like to do with the camera?
2. What is my budget?
3. What are the features that I am looking for?
4. What genres am I looking to shoot, even as an
amateur?
5. Am I planning to take this up seriously later on? THE
May be this might help since there are many question
that you need to answer before investing in a camera.
QUESTION OF
THE MONTH
WINS
AP CAMERA
QuesMtio n CLEANING
of theonth
KIT WORTH
`600
MAY 2015 17
Tips from The pros
TRaVel pHoToGRapHY
WITH PROS
This month we spoke to three travel photographers who told us about their journey across the globe.
From american photographers Gary arndt’s stunning travel landscapes, Ralph Velasco’s sharp eye
for capturing travel portraits, to Delhi, India based photographer, Dheeraj paul’s knack of shooting
the colourful essence of a city, we will take you on a journey across the world. These photographers
talk about everything, from the reason they like travel photography to what sort of preparation goes
into it.
Why your interest in travel Islands, and many of the national parks in the
photography over other genres? United States, Canada, and Australia.
I travel for a living. I don’t have a home and
live on the road 365 days a year. If it wasn’t What sort of preparation is required
for travel, I probably wouldn’t be interested for travel photography?
in photography at all. I think, there is very little preparation
required. You should certainly do some
Which are some of your favourite research on a location before venturing,
locations to photograph? but much of what I do is very spontaneous.
Some of my favourite places to photograph are Most travel photography is done with
the Namib Desert in Namibia, the Canadian natural lighting and on location, so there is
GaRY Rockies in Alberta, Antarctica, the Galapagos less work than studio photography.
aRNDT
Having visited all seven continents,
over 170 countries and territories
around the world, every Us state
and territory, every canadian
province, every australian state and
territory, over 125 Us National park
service sites and over 285 UNesco
World Heritage sites, Gary arndt is
no novice to travel photography.
This american photographer
sold his house in 2007 and has
been travelling the world and
photographing it ever since. He is
known for his dynamic travel shots
and has been published across the
world. Gary has won numerous
awards, including the prestigious
Gold Medal, Travel photographer
of the Year, society of american
Travel Writers in 2014 and Travel
photographer of the Year, North
american Travel journalists
association in 2013.

may 2015 21
TIPS
Being in the perfect place
at the perfect time is more
important than having perfect
gear.
You don’t need a lot of gear.
The basics will serve you
better than a giant bag of
lenses.
Be aware of the light. Light is
everything.
Look out for the little things.
Scenic landscapes are great,
but also pay attention to
smaller things like flowers or
ornaments on a building.
Be patient. I’ve sat for hours
in one spot waiting for
conditions to be just right. You
will often have no control over
your subject.

What are some of the key How important is equipment in What are the challenges and
things one must keep in travel photography? the rewards of this genre?
mind when doing travel It is less important than in many other The rewards are getting to travel
photography? photography genres. I carry one body around the world. The challenges are
Recognize that your subjects are and three lenses. That’s it. Getting getting to the right place at the right
humans and they are not there for in place to get the right shot is far time. A great photo might only occur
you. Respect them and honour their more important than having the best when conditions are right with light,
wishes. camera or the perfect lens. time and weather.
What role does post-processing

play in travel photography?
It plays a lesser role than it does in
fashion photography perhaps, but I
do edit all my photos, usually, nothing
more than 30-60 seconds of editing
in Lightroom. Most of what I do is
trying to compensate for lighting
conditions I can’t control.
What would you like to advice an

upcoming travel photographer?
Don’t expect to make a lot of money
and be prepared to travel a lot. Most of
the great travel photographers I know
have been to over 100 countries during
their career.
may 2015 23
Tips from The pros
RalpH
Velasco
Ralph Velasco has been travelling
since he was as young as 15, and The rich diversity of each of these to be spontaneous, but the amount of
started shooting with a point places; and by that I’m referring to preparation and research a person does
and shoot film camera. Today,
he is a photography instructor the people, the food, the music, the can often be directly correlated to the
and international guide who has history, the customs, the culture and success of their trip.
photographed in over 50 countries more; adds so much to the overall
on 6 continents. He was selected experience. What are some of the key things
as one of the Top 100 Travel one must keep in mind when
photographers in the World by
a site in the UK, also as one of What sort of preparation is doing travel photography?
the Top 10 Travel photography required for travel photography? I think it’s extremely important to
Bloggers by Usa Today’s 10best. I recommend to my clients that they give the viewers of our photography
com. additionally he was chosen do a fair amount of research before a an overall sense of the place, so I
as the “open photographer of the trip so that they know what to expect. always recommend working from a
Year” for two years in a row by
the professional photographers of I’ll also send out a very detailed set of shot list so that you come back with a
orange county. Orientation Information to help each variety of images, and not just people
participant to prepare for each trip, and photographs, or just monuments, or
this includes a gear list, cultural tips, just plates of food.
dos and taboos, information on safety,
Why your interest in travel photography how the money works, etc. It’s great How important is equipment in
over other genres?
Travel photography is a blend of most, if not all,
genres, so I think that this potential for variety
keeps me interested and allows me to tell the
complete story of each destination. I consider
myself a traveller first and a photographer
second. I’m much more interested in the cultural
exchanges and experiences I have, but great
photo ops always seem to present themselves
along the way, although, they’re just the icing on
the cake.
Which are some of your favourite locations

to photograph?
Each place has its own pros and cons, but some
of the recent locations I’ve been to that I found
extremely good for photography are Nepal,
Bhutan, Cambodia, Cuba, Turkey and Romania.

travel photography?
Equipment is somewhat important,
but not the only consideration, in
fact, the first tip in my ebook is that
it’s not about the camera. People are
surprised to hear that I travel with a
single DSLR body and a single 24 –
120 mm f/4 lens, although I do also
have a fixed 50 mm f/1.4 that I use to
challenge myself once in a while, and
as a backup just in case the other lens
fails. If one truly wants to improve
his or her travel photography, spend
money on travel, not more gear.
What are the challenges and the

rewards of this genre?
As I’ve referenced before, the
challenge with travel photography
is telling the complete story, which
may require coming back to a
location over and over again, as it’s
very difficult to do with limited time
in a destination. The reward is the
finished story itself. And having that
variety of images can result in some
may 2015 25
great content for other uses, whether it be a book,
presentation, website or blog post. There are so
many outlets for our photography these days.
What role does post-processing play in travel

photography?
If you ask me, shooting RAW is the only way to go,
and so a RAW file needs to be post processed. That
being said, I spend about 30 seconds on each image
in post. Of course, I try to get the image right in
camera, and then I have little work to do after, but
with the amount of travel I do and the amount of
images I make each year, I couldn’t spend much more
than that, even if just on the best of the best. One
other thing I’ll say is that for someone who travels
and shoots as much as I do, it’s imperative to keep up
with downloading, sorting, rating and post-processing
images almost on a daily basis along the way. I
couldn’t possibly come back to face that job all at once
after each trip, but need to do it little by little over the
course of the trip.
What would you like to advise an upcoming

travel photographer?
The first thing a person who wants to get into travel
photography should do is to develop a first class

TIPS
• Be aware of your backgrounds.
Always look deeper into the
scene to see if there’s something
in the background you’d like to
include or exclude, to help tell a
story.
• My mantra has become, “Either
it’s in or it’s out.” Take an extra
second or two to scan all four
edges of the frame while looking
through the viewfinder so that
you can include what you want
in the frame, or exclude what you
don’t want.
• Often times I see photographers
waiting until everyone is out
of the scene before they make
the image, but I’m typically the
opposite. I want at least one
person in most scenes to add
what I call a “human touch,”
or a definite point of interest.
Additionally, this provides a
sense of scale, but also brings
the viewer of the image into the
scene by giving them something
to relate to.
• Watch your horizons. I do a lot
of image reviews and critiques
and the first thing that pops
out at me is if a horizon in the
image is off. This could be a
natural horizon like a sunset or
landscape, but it might also be a
man-made horizon, like the altar
of a church or the windowsill of
a building. If you have trouble
keeping horizons level in-camera,
there’s no harm in simply
shooting a little wider and then
fixing them in post.
• Shoot both a landscape
(horizontal) and portrait
(vertical) version of every scene.
Photograph each scene the
way it looks most natural to you,
then simply turn the camera 90
degrees to get another, often
completely different, feeling
version of the same scene. This portfolio of images. That portfolio is your work out there, whether with your own
works in most cases, so try it calling card and has to be top notch in order website (this is mandatory), on Facebook,
and soon you’ll be in the habit of to be taken seriously. This, of course, entering quality photo contests, and the
doing this, and it could double requires travel, but you can also start in like. No use clicking great photographs and
your photo opportunities. your own area and then branch out over keeping it on your hard drive, it needs to be
time to other destinations. Then get your shared.
may 2015 27
Tips from The pros
DHeeRaj
paUl
Hailing from a family of well-
known skilled professional
photographers, Dheeraj paul has
been surrounded by cameras another wonderful place for a photographer which is known as the largest gathering of
since his childhood. after being
mentored by his father, the to be at during the famous Camel Fair. I humans on planet earth.
legendary photographer, s. have been mentoring Photo Expeditions
paul, he went on to shoot across to all these places for photo enthusiasts What sort of preparation is required for
various genres, from travel and from across the globe and they just enjoy travel photography?
street to editorial and advertising photographing these cities. Lastly, witnessing I recommend travel photographers to travel
photography, and have his
work displayed in a number of Kumbh Mela is a photographer’s delight. light but at the same time take your favourite
countries. His proficiency and Travel photographers from all over the world lenses along. Unlike advertising, travel
the quality of his work have visit India to capture the Nagas at Kumbh, Photography is not about showing off.
helped him bag numerous
awards in India and across the
globe.
Why your interest in travel

photography over other genres?
I am a people photographer; I enjoy travel
photography which allows me to document
portraits, emotions and living conditions of
humans irrespective of their region. Travel
is part of street photography where you
don’t like to pose or stage situation rather
you need to be spontaneous to capture the
fleeting moment through the lens.
Which are some of your favourite

locations to photograph?
India as a whole is full of pictures, and every
step is a picture opportunity. I love Varanasi
for its rich culture and spirituality, Delhi,
my homeland, inspires you to shoot both
historic and modern way of life. Pushkar is

I am a hardcore technology guy
and have moved to compact yet
high-quality Sony Alpha 7 Series
Mirrorless full-frame cameras, they
allow me to carry all my favourite
lenses along with three bodies in a
small camera bag.
I always make sure to keep
ample amount of formatted memory
cards and extra batteries during my
travel assignments and expeditions.
What are some of the key things

one must keep in mind when
doing travel photography?
The most important is to be original
in what you capture. One needs
to conceive new perspectives and
angles when it comes to shooting
famous landmarks. One needs to
think beyond pretty postcard images.
Try to candidly capture people along
with the monuments. The essence
of the destination should be visible in
the frame.
may 2015 29
TIPS
Best time for taking pictures is
two hours after the sunrise and
two hours before the sunset.
Utilise these 4 hours of the day
the most for your travel pictures.
For taking travel pictures one
needs to get out from their
comfort zone.
Try to capture candid moments.
However, talk to the strangers
on streets, and make them
comfortable before you ask
them permissions.
Don’t argue when you are in
new city, if they don’t want to be
photographed, leave them on
their own. There is always next
opportunity coming up.
Don’t hesitate to experiment with
light and exploring new vantage
points.
How important is equipment in travel In this megapixel wars of 24MP, 36MP and miss and you have to repent forever.
photography? 50MP cameras, one needs a camera which There is no second chance in street and
A photographer needs vision to frame his is fast in capturing with precise AF capabilities, travel photography. Lenses play a vital
composition but to make it happen ones as during travel people are always on the go, role in travel photography. If one needs
needs a modern sophisticated camera as well. and it’s all about capturing in real time; one to captures architectural monuments,

super wide-angled zooms are required. If limits. Too much edited or saturated
one needs to concentrate more on emotions pictures looks artificial and amateurish.
and expressions, then telephoto zooms are We as photographers are not allowed
best, and for taking pictures in available light or to remove or add any other elements
poor lighting situations, fast prime lenses are through editing software in travel and
required. people photography. Be as pure as
possible.
What are the challenges and the I would suggest a lot of post-
rewards of this genre? processing of the pictures should be
Travel photography is always challenging, as avoided. Multiple HDR shots are fine in
a photographer always need to be on their landscapes, or composite images in star
toes to capture moments on the go. The trails, but should be avoided in people
real task is to freeze an ordinary scene in an and portraits.
extraordinary way. That makes a snapshot
turn into a creative picture. Capturing night What would you like to advice to
scenes are also very difficult to expose, yet upcoming travel photographers?
looks spectacular with neon lights or lighted As I mentioned before, be original and
monuments. A lot of patience and precision is innovative when it comes to aesthetics.
involved when photographing people at dusk Try new style of compositions. Don’t be
or after the dark. lazy; wake up early to follow the light. For
capturing, it is said that one must reach
What role does post-processing play in the location before the very first light. Do
travel photography? your homework before visiting a new
In this digital era one cannot ignore post- place. Find out what are the interesting
processing. In fact to enhance digital work by or important places to visit, local language Prepare prior written permissions, if required,
software or in camera effects is not wrong or people behaviour, as all of this is to avoid last minute disappointment.
at all, but photographers should know their important to know well in advance.
TEXT: AbhIShEk dESAI
may 2015 31
SHOOT MY CITY
Off to the shores of

Ratnagiri
T
here are a lot of places that one Controller of Legal metrology. The coastal areas of this city are the
can go to when they want beautiful The distances in this city are really short. major attractions, fresh sea food and the
pictures, but one such place on the A weekend is more than enough for anyone ruined forts. Going down to the interior
shores of Maharashtra that is beautiful, yet to explore this place. The visits to research part of the villages and taking a walk by the
less explored, is Ratnagiri! centers related to the sea and works of the road is what is exciting to explore. Villages
It’s a well known fact that Konkan and its locals are quite interesting. like the Pawas, Chiplun, Ganpatipule are
surrounding village areas are generally laid A city where industries like Finolex are well versed to the urbanisation, but they still
back and so was Ratnagiri, a sleepy village. established and creating employment, there prefer to be village like. One can notice the
A place which gave birth to freedom are locals who are in the business of farming, structure of the building and clothing might
fighters like Lokmanya Tilak, and has a with the specialty being mango and jackfruit have changed due to the influence of the
history with Veer Savarkar, is a must visit for plantations. There are small farms of cashew film industry and urbanisation, but the feel
history fans. The premise of the Patit Pawan nuts too. Ratnagiri has a little blend of city at their houses is still rustic and quiet. There
Mandir, a temple built by Savarkar, has a life and village life, but much of it maintains are also the inner circle villages like Ambere
different department of the Government, the rural style. It depicts that it’s a slow but a and Ambav which are still untouched, and
the Maharashtra Office of the Assistant developing city. you can drive down only to a limit after
34 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

which one has to walk.
The authentic old villages and the
lifestyle of the people are extremely
unique. The easy-going life and relaxed
nature is something which caught my eye.
The villagers are extremely helpful and
welcoming, and you can easily crack a
conversation with them.
Every region has specialties, and so do
the coastal areas. The locals mentioned
that I could go and visit the lighthouse. As
the day was coming to an end, I decided to
rush down to the nearest one, the Ratnagiri
Lighthouse. Thankfully, I reached on time
and the lighthouse was still open. The
May 2015 35
is a sight for sore eyes. I kept on shooting
as the clouds made different formations and
the windows gave me a beautiful view of
the ships. The time was running away and
so was the sun setting fast.
I noticed that all the old houses and forts
are made of this specific coloured stone,
the red stone. I found that this red stone
or the red soil is all around the city, and
to my knowledge from school geography
textbooks, I recollected that it’s found only
in this part of the country and is useful
for plants which grow here and produce
abundant mangoes, coconuts and jackfruit
attendant gave us the information about the beaches. I descended from the lighthouse trees.
place, and I got some shots as photography and started planning to see my first sunset Village areas and exploring the roads
was not restricted. The height to which at the fort, right besides the lighthouse. during the mornings are something which
one gets when you reach the top of the When I reached Ratnadurga and Bhagwati I was looking forward to. I could travel by a
lighthouse is mesmerising. The time just Mandir, to my knowledge the timings cab but the locals travel by the ‘Laal Dubba’
flew-by photographing, and the lighthouses were restricted to 6pm. I had to plan for (Red Bus). These buses reach the smallest
were ready to close down for the tourists the sunset all over again. I planned to visit of the places in the Maharashtra state and
by sunset. the Mandhvi beach reclamation which was thus commuting for all the people of all
There are number of options when it also near the fort itself. Watching the waves classes is possible. As I saw the commotion,
comes to sunset captures on the coastal through the small windows, the sun trying I hoped for their good journey as I headed
regions, and a place like Ratnagiri has the to dodge itself from the clouds, and small for Pawas. Temples are other attractions
forts, the small reclamation roads and the ships floating against the golden sea water, of the Konkan areas of Maharashtra. They
May 2015 37
have their own history and stories attached. rush to the places before time, as they are
While going to the villages there are hills full very particular about closing timings. The
of mango trees. There are these sharp turns travel continued and I reached the temple,
which force us to peep out of the window and after my temple visit, I headed for the
and see the village from the top of the ghats. forts.
The ghats are very scenic and one would be Ratnagiri has many forts, all being
mesmerised observing the beauty. Ratnagiri small in the diameter. They can be visited
is all about efficient timings. You will have to and spent time well on. I chose to visit the

The beaches are named after the villages
which are established there.
Going all the way to Ratnagiri and not
seeing Mango farms in April – May would
be a complete disaster. The next day I was
invited to visit a mango farm of a friend who
resides here. I was more than overwhelmed
to see it. The process of mango picking
and collecting is extremely interesting and
also much time consuming. I was happy
to observe the process, and meeting his
family was an excellent experience too.
The ‘Kairiche Panhe’ the local drink and the
mango never tasted so sweet to me before.
ruined fort, Purnagad. This fort has a small travelled by photographers and explorers. Getting to eat the King of Fruits at the place
village and these villages manage to have the From here, one can also get a good view where it is grown was a complete blessing.
smallest of the walking paths. Two things in of the beaches. The vastness of the blue As the travel came towards an end, I just
the villages are worth noticing, the schools, horizon is jaw dropping. wished for some more time.
and the small temples which the locals The roads of Ratnagiri join the small Going to this place for being at the
make. They are extremely tiny in size but villages throughout the scenic beauty of the beach and spending some alone time with
allow the individual to go and worship and shores. With every turn the Arabian Sea your camera and experiencing the moods
pray whenever they feel like. This is the shows its hues. Even at the harshest light of of the sea and the sky, Ratnagiri is surely an
least travelled route by tourists but the most 2pm, the colours are beyond imaginations. excellent place to visit.
TEXT and imagEs: purva damlE
May 2015 39
Tips & Techs
10 shots
every travel photographer
must click
Summer is right around the corner and photographers are particularly excited about it! It’s no surprise
that every photographer is planning a trip or two this holiday season. But for beginners and for semi
professionals who have never taken on travel photography before this is a good opportunity to take
their cameras out and go crazy. But questions like “What do I shoot?”, “What would make a good travel
photograph?”, “What kinds of photographs can I expect?” keep cropping up. this article is aimed to
answer these questions in details and to clear the air about travel photography and name ten must have
shots while travelling.
1
Photo: amlan Sanyal
Landscape
One of the most important photos to neglected by photographers. A must have area. Nature itself unfurls its beauty in
take during a vacation and while travelling, in your travel album, landscapes are the ways that a photographer has to do little
landscapes is one of the main reasons we easiest to shoot. Landscape photography to make the photo look good. If you are
all travel. Mountains, rivers, seas or forests essentially means shooting photographs of a serious photographer, then carry a wide
– a beautiful landscape scene cannot be natural beauty in a vast or even a smaller lens, tripod, neutral density filters etc. A

good sense of composition is also a must. your hotel, explore! Ask people around for out for the light. In seashores and mountains
Amateurs always get confused as to how good vantage points that might make a good the light changes constantly, and good
much of the sky or ground to include in a landscape photograph. The locals are your lighting can make a great photograph! Some
frame. Have a reason for everything that best hope to find amazing vantage points hotels also provide you with interesting
is in your frame and why you chose to and it has worked for me a lot of times. vantage points, especially if they’re facing the
include it. While travelling, do not sit in Even if you are in your hotel, keep an eye sea or mountains.
2 peopLe/
portrait
This is one of the most widely taken
photo category by most travelling
photographers. India is a huge
country in terms of size and it
has a diverse culture. With area
people’s facial features, culture,
dressing sense and language
changes. A portrait without a
doubt captures at least two of
the above mentioned things if
not more. People portraits are
interesting and fun to shoot.
And what better way to meet
new people! To create a good
portrait you need to keep a
few things in mind. A portrait
is not just a photograph of a
face. There are a few things
that you need to keep in mind
while shooting portraits and
people shots in general. Firstly
make sure the background is not
cluttered. If the background has
too many disturbing elements
then the photographs loses its
charm as the eye tends to get
distracted from the subject very
easily. If it is a tight portrait where
most of the frame is occupied
by the face try to use depth of
field to your advantage and keep
the background out of focus if
it is uninteresting. Try keeping
colourful backgrounds as it adds
to the image. Find interesting
faces and expressions just don’t
randomly shoot portraits, wait in
a place and look for people with
distinct characteristics say, a nose
ring, wrinkles from old age, blue
eyes or even a beautiful smile.
Portraits can be very interesting
if a little of the environment is
added to it as well. These are
called environmental portraits
and these can say a lot about
people and their profession
or lifestyle. Documentary
Photo: amlan Sanyal
photographers tend to shoot a

lot of environmental portraits.
May 2015 41
Photo: thomaS Wanhoff
3 LocaL
cuisine/
food
Who doesn’t love food? Indians love cuisine
4
LocaL
markets
Local markets are the best
places to shoot since it is always bustling
yourself comfortable amongst the locals.
Early mornings are the best time to shoot
since that is the busiest time of the day for a
market. Look for interesting colours or lights
of overhead shades, lamps or light bulbs etc.
Look for patterns and shapes. You can also try
and documenting the local cuisine of a
place can be interesting. Every place has its with people. Do not shy away because it is a to create chaos by experimenting with slow
own unique food and beverage depending new place, go with the flow and try to make shutter speeds etc using a wide angle lens.
on the geographical area it is situated in.
Colourful fresh food, new recipes and new
experiences are worth documentation.
Food photographers might find interest
in one of the largest growing sectors in
photography in India. Not just food but even
the cutlery used to serve that food can be
interesting. For example, some tea stalls in
the Bhutan border serve tea in excellently
crafted porcelain cups and plates. They make
for interesting photographs and can excite
people who have never been to that place
and inspire them to actually take a trip! Look
for eye catching colours, shapes. Go behind
the scenes and shoot the entire process
and maybe you can also make a diptych or
triptych of it for your travel album. Look for
good ambient light and go to the markets
when the food is fresh – that is – early
Photo: amlan Sanyal
mornings. You can include human elements

like a hand picking up tomatoes etc. Fill the
frame with a food patter n and break the
pattern with a human element. Use depth
of field to make things look interesting.

Interesting faces can be found early morning you may need to isolate the interesting the afternoon. Since work is low and the
as vendors often have animated faces and parts of it using photography techniques vendors generally open the market again in
expressions while selling their products. For like slow shutter speed, depth of field, the evening they are often found sleeping
example in West Bengal, bargaining for fish changing your camera angle or even waiting amongst their products or just lying on a
at local fish markets make for interesting and for the right moment to find your frame bag of fruits or vegitables etc. These make
amusingly expressive photographs. Since clutter free. Another interesting take on amazingly simple storytelling photographs
the market has a generally busy scene, this can be found if you visit the market in as well.
5cuLture/
festivaL
Culture is the way of life of people
in a local area, their festivals, their
language, religion, dance, music
festivals etc. A documentary
photographer has a keen interest
in documenting and uplifting the
culture of a locality. And travel
provides the perfect opportunity to
do so. For example photographing
dance and music can make for
amazing and colourful pictures.
Naga dances, Bihu, Bharatnatyam,
Kathakali , Chau dance etc
make for colourful photos and a
photographer can play with light,
expressions and figure study as
well. Photographing festivals are
also a part of culture. It is best
to check for any festivals before
making a travel plan. Festival
photographs are interesting for
people living abroad and get a
lot of attention in photography
websites and competitions around
the world. Everyone loves festivals
and merrymaking and it is best to
do a thorough research before
documenting. Every festival has
its own unique features and
knowing the festivities makes a
photographer’s job that much
easier. Once you figure out the
Photo: amlan Sanyal
festivities you can judge and

selectively shoot the interesting
parts that you think could be
visually appealing.
May 2015 43
Photo: amlan Sanyal
6 LocaL
Life
An interesting part about travelling
and visiting new places is the fact
that you get to meet new people and your
knowledge and experience grows with you.
Local life is a part of that experience. You become
a part of that city or town or hill station or beach
for a few days. Use that to your advantage and
try to document as much as you can. It may
seem uninteresting, but little things like the local
lifestyle grow in importance with time as lifestyle
and life in general changes. It will be clearer
7
with a couple of examples. In West Bengal, till
Photo: amlan Sanyal
the 1980s you could see people wearing dhoti-

kurtas to office and boarding trams and busses.
With time and generation things have changed.
People wear shirts pants and formals. Board the
underground metro to travel. If we look at the
photographs taken in and before the 80s and
compare it with today’s you will know that the
LocaL art the history and heritage of the place and
also to gather knowledge of how the art
As artists ourselves, photographers have began. A simplistic photographic approach
old photographs have increased in value. Same always been fond of art. Be it in the form towards this should be taken. Do not
goes for Mumbai, which was primarily a fishing of paintings, sculptures, craft, design, try to complicate the frame by trying too
performance art or even newer avenues much. Make sure the art doesn’t look bad
village, a cluster of islands that has turned into a
like graphic design and animation. Local or uninteresting. Respect their art and they
megacity now. Local life has changed vastly, and art and culture is a great way of admiring will respect you and give you more time.
so have the artistic values of the old photographs.

Photo: harSh Kumar
8 monuments/
History of tHe
pLace
India is a historically rich country and
has been a part of many conquests and wars.
9 LocaL
transport/
unique
ways of
It has been influenced at some point or the traveLLing
other by Mughals, Aryans, Sikh, Dutch, French, Every city is unique in its own way
Portuguese and English. Various religions have and a part of its lifeline is transportation.
also been formed and encircled around Indian All states have their uniqueness. Be
culture and heritage. Being so, historical and it the infamous Mumbai local train,
religious architecture and monuments are Darjeeling’s toy train, Delhi’s Metro
aplenty. Meticulous carvings, treacherous castles, or Kolkata’s tram services. It is always
beautiful Mahals and temples are scattered enjoyable to take a trip on one of the
around the Indian states and are a prime tourist heritage transportation systems of that
attraction. Photographers, naturally inclined to place. Then why not document them?
history, art and architecture almost always visit Learn what makes the transportation of
Photo: aBhISheK deSaI
these behemoths to photograph and document that place unique. The crowd, the colour
them. While photographing monuments, always the hawkers, the drivers, the heritage?
keep in mind the quality of light that is falling on Having a good understanding of its
them. The best time to shoot is either dawn or uniqueness will help in photographing
dusk when the sun is not directly overhead. Use them in their true light. Try to include
of wide lenses or panoramas is also a good way. two different heritage sites in one frame carriages and Victoria Memorial in the
Find different angles and perspectives and play to create a better impact. Remember backdrop? Having two or more elements
with light and shadows for better photographs. that shot of the bullet train with Mt. in one frame creates a better impact in the
Sometimes having a human figure changes the Fuji in the backdrop? Or the Horse viewer’s mind.
photograph completely and brings about a
mystique to it.
May 2015 45
Photo: davId laW
10 cityscapes
Cityscapes look very visually
interesting and can be made even
more interesting with a little bit of effort from the
Ten must have accessories for travel
• A sturdy and spacious camera bag is a must as it protects your
equipment from getting damaged while you travel. make sure
you have a rain cover for your bag or your bag is waterproof.
• Camera cleaning kit is a very useful and inexpensive tool
to have during travelling. the kit includes brushes, blowers,
photographer’s end. Travelling can be hectic in itself but cleaning cloth and cleaning solution.
photography, being a passion driven hobby or profession, • A tripod comes in very handy while travelling if you want to try
means that the extra effort does not seem like one. Find to shoot at night or shoot slow shutter speed images, startrails
or even panoramas.
a spot to shoot your cityscape from, maybe somewhere • Extra accessories for example extra batteries, extra memory
high, somewhere empty or somewhere that can provide cards etc.
a good view of the city and it’s landmarks. Finding the • It is good to always carry a small external flash. Sometimes use
right spot to shoot and the right time to shoot is what of a flash in portraits can change the quality of the photograph.
differentiates a casual tourist to a photographer. Use • External hard drives are often carried by people along with
laptops to minimise the risk of losing data in any way. try to
exposure bracketing if there is a vast difference in shadows backup everyday’s work once you return to the hotel. you also
and highlights. In low light conditions use a tripod and get portable backup units which can copy and backup directly
shoot. If there is a river between you and the buildings/ from the card if you do not want to carry your laptop around.
monuments try keeping the reflection in the frame as well. • Choose your lens wisely according to your travel needs, try to
If you think a building or a terrace can give you the best cover from wide angle to zoom when you pack depending on
the place you are visiting.
view of the cityscape go ahead and ask for permission to • Sometimes carrying a second small camera in your pocket
shoot from there. There is no shame in asking and being comes in handy, as taking a dSlr out of your bag very quickly
rejected, you never know they may accept and you might might be a problem. Small cameras produce amazing pictures
come out having a great shot! sometimes.
If you keep these pointers in mind while travelling you • Carry portable chargers for your phones in case your DSLR
loses power due to extreme weather conditions. With
will have amazing pictures for every trip. You can also print advancements in phone cameras, shooting in phone has
them and make a diary of it. These ten must have shots if become widely popular.
mastered should cover most of your travelling. Remember • Carry lens filters. These work as lens protectors as well. ND
life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So go out, filters are used a lot during travel.
shoot good photographs and enjoy life!
TEXT : souradEEp roy

Tips & Techs
All about
panoramas
S
ometimes a wide lens falls short
to capture the breathtaking
outdoors in terms of angle of
view. Sometimes we wish we could
see what the eye sees. An eye, no
doubt, is an extraordinary lens, and
cannot be duplicated in any camera.
However, what we can do is make
a panorama. We actually can stitch
two or more photographs to increase
the angle of view and somewhat
replicate or even go beyond the angle
of view of our eye! In this article we
discuss how to shoot, stitch and edit a
panorama. So the next time you are
travelling and you need to shoot a
panorama, this article might help!
Photo: Masakazu MatsuMoto - flickr
WhaT is panorama/
panoramic
phoTography?
Panorama photography is the art
of taking several pictures of a particular
scene and then stitching them to form
a single picture of the said scene. This

Photo: DaviDe D’aMico
technique is used when a normal or a used in this digital age. With proper them. Here we will discuss them one
wide lens is not able to capture a scene techniques and proper equipment we by one with examples and also talk
that needs a wider angle of view, for can create high resolution panoramas about when to use them.
example a mountain range spans for with the touch of a button! Wide angle Panoramas
kilometers and needs a much larger These panoramas essentially look
angle of view. With advancements Types of panoramas like normal wide angle shots in terms
in technology and improvements in There are four types of panoramas of length: breadth ratios and have a
cameras, panoramas are being widely and all have their own uniqueness to less than 180 degree angle of view.
Photo: roberto ferrari
May 2015 49
These are sometimes used in place shots stitched together since the angle called planets because of the way
of wide angle lenses since stitching of view to be covered is more. While they look. These panoramas create a
four photographs taken with a 50mm travelling a 180-degree panorama will spherical image in a square plane and
has less or no distortion compared satisfy most of your wide angle needs require a special editing technique.
to a photograph taken with a wide and more. These are rarely used but used
angle lens. They also have a greater 360 degree panorama nonetheless.
resolution compared to a single image, Panoramas that cover almost 360
since the single photo is actually four degrees of angle of view are called sTacking images
photos stitched together. So if a wide 360 degree panoramas. These have Taking vertical images
angle lens is too expensive for your a super wide angle of view and cover Taking a series of vertical images
travel landscape needs this is the way a large area in one single stitched and stitching them together is a
to go. shot. Reasons to use this are plenty. preferred way to create larger
180 degree panoramas While travelling you will often find panoramas like a 180 or 360 degree
As the name suggests, these types yourself with breathtaking 360 degree view, as they tend to capture more of
of panoramas cover a wider area views of mountain ranges and valleys the top and bottom half of the images,
that is, a 180 degree angle of view. surrounding you and no wide angle or giving you a larger room to crop after
These are most commonly used in fisheye lens can capture the view the post processing. These also allow you
panorama photography. A large valley, way a panorama can. to get higher resolution since more
a cityscape and mountain peaks are Spherical Panoramas data is included into the frame.
best shot using a 180 degree view. These are amazing, visually Taking horizontal images
These usually have four or more odd-looking panoramas that are also Taking horizontal frames has its
Photo: PurvA DAmle

Photo: JazMin Million
own advantages. It allows you to is necessary. Try to get a vantage Find the exposure. Figure out
overlap two images much more, thus point on top of a mountain or a hill the exposure beforehand, keep your
assuring you a better and seamless or a sunrise spot etc and make sure camera in manual mode and set the
edit. These are used in wide angle no tree branches or rocks etc are exposure for the frame. Auto modes
panoramas. But this reduces the ability blocking your view. are avoided because the camera
to crop from the top and bottom of Check the weather. If it is windy reads different exposures for the each
the final edited image. and the clouds are moving fast then frame thus giving different results in
Both these styles allow vertical stitching would be a problem since each and every frame.
stacking which means shooting a the frame changes between two Decide on how you will shoot. If
horizontal row of images and pointing consecutive shots. Overlapping you use a tripod, then place it firmly
the camera up or down and shooting would be a hassle. If it is a sunrise and make sure the horizon is straight.
another set of images. There are or sunset the light will change every Make sure you can pan it without
several parameters for image stacking second, thus exposure will change obstruction or without moving the
to work perfectly and we will talk between frames. The stitching will not tripod. While shooting handheld make
about them later in this article. be seamless. sure you are holding the camera close
Check for moving objects. If to your body. Do a mock panning to
shooTing a there are moving objects in cityscapes make sure you can hold the camera
panorama for example people walking, cars, steady while panning. Use the
First identify the frame. Deciding cyclists then panorama would not be viewfinder for better stability.
the number of images needed to a preferred option anymore for the Lock focus - Once you are
cover the complete angle of view same reason. satisfied with the placement of your
May 2015 51
Photo: Steve D’SouzA
camera focus on the subject and then less number of images for the stitch panoramas often then investing in a
set your lens to manual focus so that but it is always advised to get as much panoramic tripod head would be a
the camera does not try to refocus in overlapping as possible but nothing good investment. This reduces the
subsequent shots. more than 50%. Keep repeating this headache of worrying about parallax
Shoot - Start from the extreme process till you reach the end of your error while shooting. These panoramic
left. Shoot one picture and then pan desired frame. You can also point heads have plates that move around
your camera slowly to the right. upwards or downwards for vertical the axis and provide a much more
Make sure you have at least 40-50% overlapping. You now have a series accurate set of pictures to stitch. Having
overlapping in between the frames. of photos serially numbered for the said that, even shooting handheld with
The computer while editing looks at editing software to work its magic on. a little caution and knowledge of how
the overlapping parts of the frame as panorama works, can provide amazing
stitching points. This is very important Using panoramic results. It is easier and quicker to shoot
since this is what helps in seamlessly heads handheld and you do not have to carry
stitching the images. You can overlap If you are a serious panorama a cumbersome bag while travelling and
lesser amounts of each image to have photographer and like to shoot of course saves on the cost!
Photo: Steve D’SouzA

ediTing a panorama of the image since Photoshop reads the files according
Now that you are done shooting a panorama it to the filenames given. If not, then sort them out,
is time to edit it and look at the final product. Many rename them accordingly and add them. Click on
might think this is a complicated process and back “Ok’ and see the magic happen. The final result will
away from shooting panoramic images, but you be somewhat like the example below.
will be surprised to know that it is actually an easy Now that the image is open, go to the layers tab
and fun process. Adobe Photoshop does a really and select all the layers and flatten the image. After
good job in stitching. There are other software as merging all the visible layers correct the exposure,
well but Photoshop’s stitching is better than most of crop the photo and tilt the photo to straighten the
those software. You can actually see in front of your horizon. The last thing you need to do is sharpen
eyes the entire process of layering being done by the photograph using ‘unsharpen mask’ and save the
Photoshop and it is exciting to see the final image. image. The entire process of shooting a panorama
To stitch a panorama, first open Photoshop. Now is not easy and should be practised a few times
go to File>Automate>Photomerge. As you click beforehand. It is strongly advised that you shoot
photomerge a window opens, now browse and in your city, edit and see what mistakes you make
select the images. Keep your layout at auto and check before you actually shoot at your summertime trip.
on the “Blend images together” and “Geometric You will be surprised to see the amazing panoramic
Distortion Correction” checkbox. Make sure the photographs you can make in the city itself. Happy
filenames are in order from left of the image to right shooting and happy travelling!
TEXT & imagEs : souradEEp roy
May 2015 53
TIPS & TECHS
Choosing a
destination
T
his time of the year is when you to swim against the current. You will have to course there are destinations like the wildlife
must be planning for a vacation, choose a destination which would give you sanctuaries, and then the areas which are
and it’s not new that you would be the moody shots and the best photographs snow covered during the actual summers.
struggling to decide on the best destinations. in the vacation season. Why go with the The timings get locked, because that is how
While seasons play an important part in flow always and just hit the shores or hills nature works and we are quite helpless.
travel, we are talking about vacations, so when it’s a little extreme and not the usual. Empty beaches, rusty forts, misty
only the summers and the winters would be Crowd, distractions, unnecessary events mountains and green grasslands are
the major seasons. The hill stations and the coming up in the vacation is anyways like adjectives for our compositions.
highlands like Cherapunji, Mahabaleshwar, disturbing. Even in the frames! Accessorising these frames are cherry on
Nuwara Eliya, Cameron Highland and many Generally, during the summers one the cake and your luck might be just good
more, of course have their holidays during would head to the hill stations and during enough to have the perfect light, and
the rainy season and they just look fabulous the winters one would go to the coastal you are on a role for your vacation to be
during that time. areas. It’s been like this for ages. What if we photographed just aptly.
Every destination shows different break this thumb rule of travel and just do Every country in Asia has a diverse
moods according to the seasons. If you some walking against the wind; to capture population, as well as diverse natural
want to get that edge, then, you will have our vacation in a much different way. Of conditions, from the Himalayas to the

season to capture. The transit between
seasons is also beautiful to observe and
capture the drama.
While talking of summer vacations in
India, how can one not think of the mangoes?
The mangoes have conveniently made India
as their favourite place to grow, the coastal
regions where they mostly grow. Summers
can drive you hot and sweaty. Instead of the
typical hill station rush to the shores which
would be less crowded, more relaxed
than the busy hill stations and cheaper too.
Landscapes, seascapes, water animals,
empty beaches with family and friends would
make the best deal to come out with some
vibrant, colourful and playful shots.
Coastal Regions
Costal Destinations give immense space
and time to make your vacations full of
photographs. Beaches play an important
Malaysian Islands, from the river banks of choosing a decent enough destination from part of the countries which have long
the Ganga to the desert-lying areas of the a photographer’s point of view does take a coastal regions.
different countries. Asia comprises of too lot of time and thinking. One can find a lot of temples, churches,
many options for photographers who are Hit the beaches in summers and the stone walls up near the beaches which
crazy about photography and also exploring hill stations in winters. Just that, start a little have a long history behind it, and capturing
new destinations. From all these options, early so that you would also get the mix this history and making it memorable

cannot be of greater joy. In the evenings coastal beaches which can be considered as We have almost all type of animals which
with the light which emerge along the working ports can be Bakkhali, Gahirmatha, one would find in the wild in India. We
sand and also the hilly regions, near the Silver Beach, Puri. human beings are surely working towards
beaches, the lighthouses become the sole making this world a better place by doing
reason of photographing the evenings Wildlife sanctuaries some wildlife work and also through
and nights. Finding different types of light Every season has its own destinations. donations. Governments and the respective
arrangements and capturing the best One such can be the wildlife sanctuaries. countries’ population are seen working
possible seascapes by making the use
of manmade structures can be of a great
advantage. Few more to mention can be
Ullal, Malpe, Mahabalipuram, Marina,
Vizag, Dhanushkodi.
Forts near the sea beds also form
an attraction for offbeat travellers and
photographers. In summers one can also
try staying there as the tourists and regular
visitors during the afternoon, evening and
nights slowly fade away, and you would get
to the sun rising and the setting in front of
your lenses.
Talking of capturing the sun setting,
also think of East facing beaches. If one is
talking about India, there are a couple of
ports which you can think of only because
they would help in capturing sunrises,
which is an unusual thing when it comes to
the Indian eastern coastal region. Eastern
may 2015 57
towards growing and preserving its wildlife
world by coming up with the sanctuaries
for birds, snow leopards, lions, tigers,
rhinos and of course the Asian elephants.
There are a lot of endangered species,
we as photographers would love to
capture and make a mark in our own set
of photographs. The tiger sanctuaries, the
rhino sanctuary, the bird sanctuaries in the
South Asia are brilliant getaways. Plan and
keep days in hand. In wildlife sanctuaries
luck plays an important part. Even the
winters are good to catch up with these
sanctuaries but the summers would surely
give you that chance of sighting the animals,
frequently. Tiger Sancturies like Pench –
Kanha, Ranthambore and also Tadoba.
Other than Tigers even Leopards are well
sighted here.
There are also sanctuaries which are
open and make sense of visiting only in
winters; like the Hemis wildlife sanctuary
where you could be lucky enough to sight
the snow leopard, red fox; which are rare
and shy species in this world. The Rhino
Sanctuary, named Kaziranga in Assam is one
beautiful spot and ads on to the beauty of
India. You can also find the Indian Elephant
crossing by from the Kaziranga, it being the
major area where you can see the Asian
Elephants migrating. North East India is
indeed a brilliant place to visit during the
winter season and just after the rains and
also before the rain starts.

Hill stations grasslands, fields, clouds coming down and amidst the clouds and sync in the beauty of
The winter season has a complete different going through the mountains, is a complete the mountains.
face. It’s filled with surprises. Hill stations compositional fantasy. These are dream Planning well and then you can place
and the higher range of hills, mountains shots wherein, photographers are ready to your camera on the tripod, and frame your
have a really beautiful warm feeling in the get up before the sunrise and be up, till the dream shot of the vacation. It might be
cold. People found in such remote areas whole night to capture startrails. This time from the hotel window for that matter.
are working towards the betterment of choose the snow clad mountains, the hill When in Rome, do as the Romans
the places and they encourage tourists stations close by for the winter season and do! If you also have any inclination for the
and when photographers have complete see the change of thought process one has different cultures and traditions, you can
support now, why not explore and on the output of photographs you get. also pitch in for a destination that has rich
support them back. Long exposures, travel To mention a few more hill stations Mt. history which is still carried on. Festivals
portraits, and experimentation can be done Abu, Coorg, Kodaicanal, Kashmir and last which might depict cultures in different
very much with ease. but not the least the North East delightful ways fall during holidays. Plan and look
For photographers, mists, stretches of to capture. Grab that opportunity and be for live performances, light and sound
performances wherever possible. Cultural
photography would be an addition to your
knowledge, on the topic of the culture
as a whole and also fine tune with your
photography skills which you must have
heard off, read about or would have just
observed. Go to the destination live their
lives and you would just make the best
of your shots and you would be creating
memories.
Seasons, cultures, moods, holidays,
all go hand in hand, and to make it bigger
and better, a topping of photography will
complete your platter!
Make the summers brighter, rains
greener and winters mistier. Plan, block,
frame, shoot and make memories this time
and not just a mere vacation. Shoot on!
TEXT and imagEs:

purva damlE
may 2015 59
TIPS & TECHS
Guide to getting a perfect
Star trail
E
very day we come across a getting one perfect shot, you need to
number of outstanding star trail spend sleepless night to get the shots,
Photo: aMIT vaKIL
images all over the internet and a lot of research and planning goes into
on other platforms however getting it. Here are a few points that we have
these shots is not an easy task because jotted down to help you get a perfect
a lot of time and effort can go into star trail exposure.
Location: Of course, one of the major
points to get a perfect star trail exposure is
to find the right location to shoot. Whether
you’re shooting by moonlight or on a very
dark night, the foreground elements do
matter, they have to be well lit in order to get
a good composition. A lot of photographers
will choose something very close and light it
with a flashlight during the exposure to add
an element of interest. Whether you do that
or not, you still want to have a good horizon
line, be sure to evaluate the horizon critically
because a little tilt there can cause great
difference to your composition.
Point North: There’s no law saying your
star trails have to orbit around a single point,
Photo: KK baRSaDIa
but for your first attempts, we recommend
that you point your camera generally to the
north. You don’t need to center the North
Star in the frame, but it’s a good idea to have
it near the midline of the frame. This is a
general rule, and like all rules, it’s made to be focus and lock, just focus at infinity. You’re from trying to hunt. If you’re shooting with
broken after a couple of years of practice and going to have a very long exposure, so you something close to the camera, you need
experimenting. need to lock down the camera with a sturdy to focus carefully to be sure everything from
Lock and Focus: There’s nothing more tripod and a good head. We suggest you your near object to infinity is sharp. Positive
obvious when it comes to star trails than the use manual focus mode to keep the camera locking is the key.
Photo: RIch GRunDy

Composition: The key for star Focal Length: This is pretty easy to Frame Area: The length of the trails
trails photography is to find a good assume the longer your focal length also depends on the area of the sky you
composition, the trails are nice on the longer the star trails, simple isn’t are capturing in the frame; the closer
their own but you need a landscape it. With a wide angle lens you need you are the shorter the trails will be.
or a foreground object to make the really long exposures in the order of The reason is very simple, all the stars
photo interesting. A silhouetted object minutes for the trails to be noticed, travel in a complete circle around a fixed
can frequently be interesting just make with a telephoto lens the trails appear point of the sky every 24 hours. So you
sure you have the complete scene in in a few seconds but composition get closer to the celestial pole the stars
focus. A perfect star trail composition becomes more difficult. travel less distance per unit of time.
needs to be planned properly with
adding the perfect foreground to
adding layers of visual references;
everything is in your hands.
Celestial pole: The

point on the celestial
sphere directly above
either of the earth’s
geographic poles, around
which the stars and
planets appear to rotate
during the course of the
Photo: yOGI
night.
Photo: naSa
may 2015 63
Things you will
definitely need while
Photo: JuSTIn KeRn
out there:
• A digital camera with
manual settings and
focus
• A lens (the focal length
of your lens matters)
• A tripod with something
to weigh it down that
will not swing in wind. If
there is any movement
at all, your photo will be
blurred.
• A shutter release
mechanism. Use an
interval meter but many
Photo: veRnOn SwanepOeL
cameras either have

this as an on-camera
capability or you can use
third party software and
load it onto your camera
in some cases.
Foreground exposure: Exposure Multiple Shots: There are two • A fully charged battery
time can be difficult for star trails, our ways to get star trails: A single photo and a large enough
recommendation for you would be with a very long exposure or several memory card
to start finding a good exposure for shorter exposures combined together. • A head torch, but, be
the foreground at a very high ISO The second method is safer because careful where you shine
such as 6400, and once you find if something goes wrong, you lose it. Use it for setting up
that exposure then just compute the only one frame and not the complete only, unless you want to
equivalent exposure for a lower ISO image. Several things can work against paint with light too!
to get longer trails. For example, if the your shot like car lights, running out • A flask of something hot
foreground looks fine at 2” ISO 6400 of battery, somebody with a flashlight, to drink and some good
then your choices are: [4” ISO 3200; clouds, etc. The final result can be friends are nice optional
8” ISO 1600; 16” ISO 800, 32” ISO composed with layers in a Photoshop extras
400, 64” ISO 200, 128” ISO 100]. or using specialised software such as

How to Find the
Celestial Pole: You can
find the Celestial Pole using a
compass and knowing your
latitude, with the compass
aiming north if you live in
the north hemisphere or
south if you live in the south
hemisphere. Then the pole
is at the same height as your
latitude. So if you live at 35
degrees north the celestial
Photo: MIke BoenIng
pole is 35 degrees high in the

sky pointing north.
Star trails.exe which works pretty fine

as well.
Noise Reduction: If you take several
photos make sure you have in-camera
noise reduction off to avoid gaps in your
trails. If you go for the single exposure
approach then you can turn it on but the
photo will take twice as long as planned.
Make sure you have good battery packs
charged in case you are going with
multiple shot exposures.
Minimise Gaps: To minimise gaps
in your trails try to use the shortest
possible interval between photos if you
take several exposures. You win nothing
waiting a few seconds and the trails will
look like dashed lines or disturbing clocks
of light lines if you hurry and not plan the
shot accordingly. Remember everything
given the right amount of time gets you
better results. Don’t rush in. Sit back,
observe and then go ahead.
Post-Processing: When post-
processing star trails start with noise
reduction, then adjust contrast and
saturation and finally sharpen to taste.
Removing noise is the most important
step in processing a star trail shot;
everything else depends on how the
picture suits your eye for perfection.
Equipment: You need a solid tripod, if
the tripod moves you are doomed. Make
sure the tripod is stable and shielded from
the wind. A remote interval meter is also
a great tool, you can programme it to
take the exposures for you while you
take a coffee. Don’t forget to use a fully
Photo: yOGI
charged battery.
TEXT: ushma dhamdhErE
may 2015 65
Tips & Techs
Go pro!
Y
ou must have recently seen a small little
camera on the shoulder, on the head or
on the bar handle of a bike; that very
teeny-tiny camera is the GoPro. It has taken
adventure photography and travel photography
to a completely different level. While GoPro
makes the news only for its videos, the
photographs out of this petite camera can beat
your favourite DSLRs with wide lenses.
With GoPro’s user-friendly features, quick
response, water resistance, compact size, and
brilliant output, a surfer, travel photographer or
even a rider wouldn’t ask for more. Carrying a
DSLR in the water and shooting with it is not
the easiest task. However, with the GoPro,
dipping in the water to swim, snorkel or scuba
dive and shoot images is easy.
GoPro would probably be less of a camera,
and more so it becomes a part of your body.
You can carry it along by just strapping it around
any moving objects, and get some brilliant out
of the box results. The new GoPro Hero
4 black edition is making news and people
around are investing, in what is probably the
best possible equipment in the current lot of
action adventure cameras.
A camera with so many great features,
one can just work around the few negatives
and work towards making the shot turn out to
be better. There are other companies offering
similar type of cameras like Contour, Drift HD,
but battling with them, GoPro still remains in
the lead. The little camera gets out the best
shot with its super ultra wide lens. It gives us
the creative edge by getting the distortion.
Take it anywhere absolutely anywhere,
in busy markets, on streets or even dip it
into the waters. A camera which lets you go
underwater, straps around your shoulder, sticks
on to the helmet or even can be hanged on a
side street pole for getting the overview of the
entire busy street of that city of yours can give
you jaw dropping shots.
The camera can get you weird reactions
from people who see it for the first time.
Capturing such reactions is something which is

May 2015 67
priceless. Expressions, movements, different or that angle with a lens like that has to be The camera settings cannot be
point of views is something one can easily mastered after loads of practice. controlled. Every shot will be exposed
capture with such a lightweight camera. A camera which gives such immense according to the camera’s sensor. It will
The camera is all about getting up close saturation and the hues are captured so adjust the exposure, and the camera will
and knowing your subject well. One should beautifully, surely is a pick for any type of blow out the sunny sky or the over exposed
be extremely observant when photographing a vacation. They might need a little bit of area in the composition, if it has to get the
with the GoPro. One can just go on shooting tweaking here and there but basic editing low or under exposed subjects in proper sky.
with the camera, but getting that expression software can be enough. Shooting such situations can be tricky with

this camera. Generally, overcast clouds do
add to the photographs of these cameras, it
just adds on to the balancing of the light all
throughout the frame. You might just come
across a better foreground and then lessen
the sunny sky.
Generally, this camera works as a
partner to your DSLR and that is how it
makes a great combination. At times, the
wide lenses also don’t give a satisfactory
output. This wide genius might just be the
answer to that.
Everyone these days loves to click a
selfie. Travel selfies having backdrops of
the tourist spot you recently visited, and
it is really something one would like to
cherish. With that wide range and a little bit
of know–how would be enough to position
the camera and get some great selfies.
Wide is a word which everyone relates
to landscape photography. One need not
do much, when one has an action camera
like this one. You could just aim at the Wide lens of this camera can turn out own shadow disturbing what is probably the
beautiful sights and capture the landscape to be problematic if not well thought of and best frame you might have made that day.
with a unique angle. The GoPro fulfills this observed the exact output. You might see The light weight can just adds on to
condition really well. Keeping an eye on your own shadow entering unnecessarily in the beautiful photographs which it would
the horizon and the distortion should be the frames. As one cannot see the output give you during your long travels or even
worked out and thus no trouble should be of the photograph right away you never for your one day trips. Go out, travel, and
seen in the output. Setting up the horizon know how many of them you have already explore the surroundings with a camera
line is the key, and your shots are bang on, been a part of. So, do understand the sun’s like GoPro. You would just make awesome
perfectly made. position and try your best not to find your shots even when you don’t have a DSLR!
TEXT: purva damlE

imagEs: vasEEm paThan
May 2015 69
TIPS & TECHS

Travel Portraits
W
hile travelling during a vacation documenting; if not words, a smile would background. This can really help the face
one of the major things that you do too. It might only be a momentary one you’re shooting to pop out and capture the
end up shooting are portraits. - a glance in the street - or you may have viewer’s attention.
Portraits of people travelling with you, asked the person to pose for you. In travel Framing - Some of the best shots we
local people, they are an essential add-on photography you’re often communicating have come across of people while travelling
to your picture series, if you are planning across language barriers, but respect is have been tightly framed people’s faces.
on documenting the place you are visiting universal, so always put that into action. If This means either getting in nice and close
thoroughly. you sense hesitation or hostility, smile and to the person, or having and using a good
Connect: Connecting with locals, move on. Don’t stand there and wait for zoom lens.
indulging in a light conversation with them them to look away – it’s annoying and can Subject: Most of the shots we’ve taken of
always works. We feel the most powerful also land you up in trouble. people over the years while travelling have
portraits are those in which the subjects are Background: Think about what’s in been of single subjects alone in the shot.
looking straight at the camera or the one’s the background behind the people you’re This is partly just a normal style of most of
completely candid – there’s no in between. photographing. Ideally, you want something the travelling photographers, but adding a
Looking at such compositions you can feel that’s not too distracting but that adds to second person into an image takes a photo
(as a viewer) as though the person is looking the context of the place you’re shooting to a different place. No long is the shot just
straight out of the photograph at you. To in. Another technique for shooting shots about a person and their environment but it
achieve this, you generally need some of people that ignores the ‘contextual’ rule somehow becomes relational. The viewer
sort of connect with the person you are is to find a brightly lit position with a dark of the photo begins to wonder about the
may 2015 71
relationship and a new layer is added Variety: Quite often it’s the costumes that tend to attract
to your shot. shots of people dressed in regional photographers when travelling.
While these shots can be very
effective, it’s not necessary that they
are always really representative of
a culture. Quite often these people
have dressed up especially for a
show or tourist attraction and the
majority of people in that country
look quite different. Mix up the
types, gender and ages of people
that you take photos of and you can
end up with a very effective collage
of faces of a place.
Arrange an extended photo
shoot: This goes against the nature
of travel photography which is
usually very fast and spontaneous –
but on one or two occasions, you

can sit with a person for a longer
period of time and photograph them
in a more extended manner. This
enables your photographs to take
a on a storytelling nature and can

lead to some wonderful sequences Candid: To get a much more being candid are way better than
of shots using different photographic spontaneous shot, keep your the normal posed ones. These shots
techniques, lenses and situations to camera always to the eye level. often include people interacting with
shoot in. The kind of shots that you get while others or expressing true emotion.
We recommend keeping your
camera on continuous shooting
mode to get better candid shots.
Lens: We firmly believe any
lens, and when we say any lens,
even an 18-55mm lens, can give
you an amazing portrait if shot
properly. Having said that, some
lenses do tend to lend themselves
to great portraits, like the primes.
We believe any fixed focal length
between 50mm and 135mm is a
good range to work with. Going for
wide angle lenses can also produce
amazing shots but you will often
find that they distort your subject’s
face a little (sometimes this is very
effective). Choosing a longer focal
Photo: Purva Damle
length can be useful for putting your

subjects a little more at ease.
tEXt: Ushma dhamdhErE
may 2015 73
TIPS & TECHS
How to protect
your camera
Photographers hold one thing more dearly than their life - their equipment. Without equipment, a
photographer is nothing. Thus, caring for it is the utmost priority of a photographer. But while travelling,
we have all faced difficult weather conditions and have all been, at least once in our lives, worried about
our equipment. What if it rains and moisture spoils the lens, how do we protect the equipment from
extreme heat or cold? In this article we discuss how to keep your camera and all other equipment safe
while travelling.
T
s he first step while packing your Extreme Heat
A DIY camera rain cover equipment for a tour is to research on Most of our camera bodies are black in colour
is a cheap and effective
way to protect your
the weather. Is it usually rainy this time and get heated up really fast. This especially
expensive equipment of the year? What is the temperature? What is happens if you are shooting in the desert or
from rain and dust. the expected moisture level? Beginners usually somewhere really hot like near a volcanic
Make sure to use as never look into things like this and come back eruption. If the camera gets heated up too
many rubber bands as with fungi in their camera sensors and lenses. much, it will damage the sensor and also
needed so that water
does not seep through
This small step goes a long way of saving money the electronic parts as well. The easiest and
the openings. and time to get your sensor cleaned later on. quickest way to deal with this is to carry two
So how do we deal with extreme weather hand towels. Place one on your camera to
conditions? We will go through four steps in the cover it from the sun and keep another in your
article. bag. Every half hour or so, your towel will

s s
also get heated up, so interchange the towel and keep
Lens filters can Silica gel is available in all photography stores and should
protect the lens the heated one in your bag to cool down. Other ways always be carried in camera backpacks as they soak in
from water are to find shadows to stand on or keep the cameras in water from the equipment and keep the moisture out. The
drops and dust in the shadow. Shadow areas are a lot cooler compared to gel should be changed at regular intervals as they become
windy situations. the sunny areas. Keeping your camera switched off and useless since their water soaking capability is limited.
Lens filters are
in the shadow for five minutes even can reduce the heat
inexpensive
to replace absorbed by the camera body. If you have a car waiting the camera it disperses the heat to the cooler parts of the
compared to the for you nearby just switch on the AC and keep the camera camera thus producing condensation. Water inside your
lens itself thus there for a while. But try to avoid sudden and abrupt camera’s electronics is the last thing you would want. It’s
making it a good changes in temperature as they might affect the electronic best to keep the battery out for two three minutes before
way to prevent
camera parts. Also remember that your camera has some plugging it inside the camera. This is true for the camera
dust from
scratching the sealing materials that protects it from light drizzle and sand body as well. Do not put your camera in the bag directly.
lens surface. etc. That sealant may melt or wear off due to heat. So It is best to open the camera bag compartment in the cold
make sure to cool your camera off at regular intervals and let a bit of cold air in as well. This helps to gradually
while shooting in the heat! bring down the temperature and reduce condensation.
But there still will be condensation, however little it may
Camera casings be, and we will talk about how to get rid of it in our next
may be a little point.
expensive but
it lasts longer Extreme Rain/Wet conditions
and also ensures
better safety in
What happens when you are going to a place like
terms of dust, Mumbai or Meghalaya during rains? Do you not shoot?
mud, snow Since that is never an option for a photographer, we
and water. A take a few precautionary steps to deal with nature and to
must have for overcome the hurdles. There are a hundred ways to deal
photographers
who face adverse
with rain. If it is a slight drizzle, just carry an umbrella and
conditions while shoot with one hand, or cover your camera with your
travelling ever so jacket. This is not a full proof solution but it does get the
Source: Jebinga.com
often. job done if you are careful. There are also waterproof
Extreme cold camera jackets available in the market. It covers the entire
This is one of the most difficult weathers as cold brings camera and lets you use it quite easily. Looking through
with it wetness. If you are shooting in snow the snow is the viewfinder becomes a little difficult in pouring rains
bound to melt into water once your camera warms up. but otherwise it’s a good choice. You can also make DIY
But that is the least of your worries. The main problem camera jackets with polythene bags and rubber bands
with cold is the fact that it drains your battery and the that will save you some money. But it is strongly advised
batteries get discharged quickly. The solution is usually to to buy a good quality jacket since your equipment is
carry two batteries. If you are carrying two batteries then much more expensive than the jackets. Waterproof
make sure you keep the spare one inside a warm jacket camera casings are also available for some models and
pocket or inside an extra pair of gloves and put the jacket can get a bit expensive. If you are a surf photographer or
or glove in your bag. Once you are done shooting, pull a water sports/underwater photographer, this is the right
out the used battery and do the same. You can bring it out investment for you. It will last you on many more trips
again when you need it. But there is a catch here as well. than you might think.
If the battery gets too warm, once you put the battery in You can also opt to make a DIY rain cover, as it is not
may 2015 75
Carrying extra
batteries go
a long way in
cold climates as
batteries seem to
get discharged in
cold.
beach, water is not the only thing that will affect your
camera. Sand/dust and all other particles flying in the air
is a concern. The first thing that you need to ensure is
that the lens opening is safe. A simple fix is a UV filter that
inevitably stops the wind from flowing sand particles into
your lens. The best way to sand-proof your camera so to
speak is to waterproof it entirely. Using camera housing is
an expensive and efficient way to deal with sand. Finding a
shelter to change lenses is a must since even a few grains
of sand will cause immense damage to the camera if not
prevented. Always point your camera body downwards
(towards your feet) while changing a lens since it will block
the wind that flows horizontally.
Carrying a camera cleaning kit and a pair of clean
clothes are a must these days. A small investment like this
can earn you in gold. A camera cleaning kit consists of
s too difficult. We had done an article on this called ‘DIY different brushes, a cosmetic cleaning gel and cloth and
A camera Rain Cover’ in our July 2014 Vol.26 – No. 7 issue. You also a blower. You can blow dust off of the sensor but be
cleaning kit can refer to it for detailed steps. very careful while doing so, since a sensor is very delicate
helps to clean
the outer
If you are more of a beach person and love the water and needs to be opened and cleaned carefully and in a
surfaces of the and travel frequently to beaches, lakes etc. it is suggested dust free environment. A lens-pen is also available which
camera and lens you buy a GoPro as well. Always keep a dry cloth handy has a carbon coated vacuum that cleans the lens surface
and keeps it in case some water drops do fall on your camera. There removing finger prints, dust etc. The pen also has a brush
clean from dust, is just one more thing we need now: silica gel. A silica on the other side that works well to remove dust and
water etc. use
it after every
gel is a dehumidifier that works wonders once you have sand. These are the basic things that need to be packed
shoot once you put your camera in your bag. The silica gel absorbs the while travelling. And remember, while these might cost
return to the extra moisture from your bag and camera and keeps the a lot, they are a onetime investment and will last you for
hotel. internal circuits dry. years. So, protect your camera and keep shooting!
Sandy/Dusty conditions TEXT AnD IMAgES:

For those that want a warm sunny vacation at a SourADEEp roY

TIPS & TECHS
Mobile Travel
Photography
With the turn of the century, phones started getting cameras, and slowly, today, they’re battling against
DSLRs. With almost each new phone being launched there is either an increase in the megapixel or a
new camera feature introduced. Now, everyone has a phone with a camera. A lot of times, when you
travel, you might not want to carry a bulky DSLR, and might choose to rely on your phone camera for
clicking your travel images. Trust us, it might not rival the DSLR, but it will get the job done just fine, at
one-tenth the weight. We are going to discuss some travel photography tips and tricks for mobile phone
cameras that you can put to use, to get the best shots possible.
Keep your phone charged out of charge on your phone. at all times, when you are going to
When you are travelling, you One of the first and foremost be out shooting with it all day. If you
are constantly using the phone things to do, if you’re serious about have no juice in your phone, there
to click pictures, checking maps, doing travel photography with your is no way you are going to be able
looking up stuff online etc. Most cellphone, is to always ensure you to get any shots at all.
times of the day, you’re out in the are charged. If you were using a To ensure that you don’t run
city sight-seeing, and come back to DSLR, you would ensure that it is out of power, it is a good idea to
the hotel only later in the day, and fully charged. Similarly, you have to have portable chargers. This way,
there is always a problem of running make sure your phone is charged even if you run out of power, you

the lighting that will be available at
the spot. You can rise early and head
to shoot the sunrise and sunset, and
you will get some great landscape
shots with different hues and colours.
Also, it is usually nice to go to
tourists spots ahead of time, so
that you get a good shot of the
monument or building or statue,
without the unnecessary crowd in
the frame.
Be ready!
You snooze, you lose, has never
been truer! Travel photography is all
about being alert, and being ready
to shoot an image quickly. As travel
photography is like street photography,
a moment once lost is lost forever.
It is very important as a travel
photographer to always have your
camera at hand. Keep your phone in
your hand at most times. Also, keep
the camera app readily available. Most
phones allow you to create a camera
shortcut on your phone desktop
that you can access immediately, or
can plug in the portable charger photography, you will obviously be assigning a custom key that can trigger
and get on with shooting amazing shooting historical monuments and the app for immediate use.
pictures. landmarks, or scenic sunsets and Compose
Keep a track of time sunrises. For this, it is very important As we have spoken about
When you are doing travel that you time yourself according to in quite a few of our mobile
may 2015 79
photography articles, just like in camera to help you compose the images, like a shot of the local busy
DSLR photography, composition image. market.
is king in mobile photography. Pay Wide-angle Bird’s eye
attention to what you are clicking, Most phone cameras have wide- Travel photography is not just
and then frame the image. Use angle lenses. Make good use of this. about the streets and the markets.
rule-of thirds, golden triangle and Step back, and take the whole scene If possible, do not miss out on a
other compositional principles. You into view. If framed correctly, wide chance to photograph a city from
can always switch on the grid in your angle shots can make great travel top. You can lookout for a nearby

landscape images. Hold your
phone horizontally, and compose
wisely. Play around with angles,
and you can even try adding some
foreground elements. Doing this will
add character to your image, and
differentiate it from other landscape
images.
Avoid flash and zoom
Even if your subject is far away,
ideally, try not to use zoom. You
might be able to get a shot of the
subject, but it will probably be of
really poor quality. What you can
instead choose to do is, shoot the
subject, without zooming in, and
later crop the image accordingly.
Also, remember to keep your
phone resolution the highest. Most
phone give you the option of High,
medium and low resolution; these
sizes will vary from phone to phone,
depending on the quality and the
megapixel of the phone camera.
The second thing to avoid is flash.
Even if it is a low-light situation, avoid
high-rise, a rooftop bar or a viewing click a simple portrait of a person, using a flash. Try shooting as much
tower for a brilliant bird’s-eye shot. it can even be interesting to include as possible in natural light, as flash
Most phones these days have an some background element in it. For will ruin the image, and make it lose
in-built panorama feature that lets example, if it’s a local rickshaw driver, its natural essence. You can instead
you shoot multiple images which the then including the rickshaw in the shoot the image in low-light, and try
phone stitches into a single image. If picture, or a fisherman along with his and tweak it later in an editing app.
it’s a good open view, you can even catch, and so on. You can even get Post-processing
try and shoot a city panorama from interesting shots by capturing people The big advantage of mobile
a height. in candid moments, living their daily photographers is the quick access
People lives, performing chores etc. to photo-editing applications. Once
Nothing defines a place better Landscapes you have shot your image, you can
than its people, and clicking portraits Images of landscapes look great, instantly get to editing it. There are
is a travel photography must. You and it is one of the must-shoot tons and tons of image-editing apps
can click amazing portraits from on a travel. With the wide-angle out in the market, with some of
your phone camera. While you can phone lens, you can shoot good the popular ones being Instagram,
VSCO, Pixlr Express and Snapseed.
You can choose to what extent you
want to edit your images. If you do
not want to edit an image extensively,
the apps can help you tweak certain
things like saturation, brightness,
contrast etc. A lot of well-known
professional travel photographers
shoot with their phone, and use
multiple editing apps to edit their
photos. You can also look them up
on Instagram and check out their
work for inspiration.
TEXT and imagEs:

abhishEk dEsai
may 2015 81
This section
TIPS & TECHS brings you the
APP REVIEWS
reviews of all
the new and
noteworthy
apps available
on the various
platforms
Every month we look for photography apps to review that a mobile or DSLR photographer can use. This
month we decided to find something different, a photo centric app that adheres to the hunger for travel,
made specifically for photographers and daydreamers. The app’s name itself is catchy and unique - Stuck
on Earth. The app created by three people from three different places in the world is amazingly designed
and well thought out. Let’s talk about the app in detail.
STUCK ON EARTH
A much needed application This app is an amalgamation of five are mostly from Flickr and one of
Over the years a huge number six different tools that would’ve Trey’s other app, Stuck in Customs,
of applications have been developed needed different apps, but have compiled into a neat bundle. Trey
both in the android and iOS base. been compiled into one single being an HDR enthusiast himself, has
Some very useful ones, and others as app. The creator of the app Trey uploaded a ton of amazing drool-
useless as an app developed to ping Ratcliff, being a photographer himself worthy HDR photos of places.
a person to say ‘Yo’. However, there understood the necessity of this app Design
never was an app for daydreamers, and took things in his own hand. The The app is designed very
who dream to travel the world but application is simply a huge map of meticulously and seems like a
never had the chance or opportunity. the world with a list of millions of handiwork of an experienced artist.
For people who save up and travel places for a photographer or photo It instantly catches one’s eye. You
to places only to be disappointed enthusiast to visit. One click on the are greeted by a siri-like voice when
and finding out it was not what they place brings up a library of hundreds you use the app and every time
expected, this app incorporates of pictures to go through so that one you open the app, the voice grabs
features that will help you to find can – visit the place before visiting your attention in an instant. The
the right places and plan your trip. - so to speak. The photographs background images are crisp and

beautiful. The app tries to keep an the search tab or by scrolling around internet connection to make it load
‘adventurous’ theme to it, which suits in the map and looking at pinned faster. Since the app aims to show
its purpose of being a travel app. The photographs. You can also make plans the photographer or explorer or
app allows you to access a map with for your trip by saving your trips, daydreamer what to expect from a
detailed satellite view of places and both visited and about to visit ones. It place, linking to app to Google Street
photographs of certain places pinned also has a list of top 50s compilations View and giving them a virtual tour of
at the respective locations. It is a very which is great for photographers it could be a good direction to head
simple to use app with no extra or wanting to explore the best places on for now. Since they are aiming to be a
unnecessary features to it. Being an earth. complete travel solution, adding a list
iPad app, some features only work Drawbacks of hotels and restaurants would also
with a WiFi internet connection. The app, even though carefully be helpful.
Pictures of places can be saved for constructed and designed has its Final verdict
later offline viewing as well. drawbacks. Since most photographs For someone sceptical like me
Features are sourced from flickr, there are a who has been disappointed a lot
The app, even though listed as a lot of bad photos uploaded as well. after visiting a place, this is the right
travel planner app, does not aim to Selfies and groupfies were also added kind of app. The design, the concept,
be just an itinerary-making, note- and geo tagged to some locations, the entire package and of course
taking digital diary of a traveller, like which, as a photographer does not the photographs makes it a good
most travel planner apps are. This help the purpose. There needs to and useful app. It gives you a better
actually assists you to decide which be some kind of check before the understanding of a place which,
place you want to travel to in the photos are displayed on the app. The in turn, helps you to plan ahead
near future. Since most of its content voice narration also is a little irritating accordingly. The app overall is well
is user-generated it keeps growing as at times, but that can be done away designed, practical and fun to use.
more and more people join the app. with in the settings. The maps are a
You can both search for places from little slow and you need a really fast
TEXT & IMAGES : SOURADEEP ROY
MAY 2015 83
CAMERA REVIEW
e
PRiC 50
` 86,4
Nikon D7200
With a resolution of 24.2 million pixels DX-format CMOS image sensor, together with EXPEED 4 image
processing, Nikon launched the D7200 recently. Free of an optical low-pass filter, the D7200 boasts of
ISO 25,600 (two full stops higher than the D7200’s predecessor) for low-light images. The camera also
features NFC to establish a Wi-Fi connection. We got hold of a D7200 this month and tested it, read on
to find out how it performed.

Look, body and feel Sample Image
Exactly like its predecessor the Nikon
D7100, the D7200 comes with a dust-
and-weather sealed body, and has the same
sensor. Although, technically speaking, its
pixel counts do differ ever so slightly, thanks
to slight adjustments in sensor masking.
But while the sensor is unchanged, the
processor has upgraded to an EXEED 4,
rather than the previous generation EXEED
3. The camera was light when mounted
with the 20mm 1.4 and was very easy to
carry around, which makes it easier for you
in most handheld shooting situations. On the
top deck, on the left is the locking mode dial,
and on the right, the power switch, shutter
button, movie button, metering mode
button and exposure compensation button,
all sitting directly in front of the top-deck
LCD info display. In the centre is the popup
flash strobe and hot shoe, between which
are two eight-hole grilles for both channels
of the built-in stereo microphone. There
are 7 buttons lines up on the left of the
camera, while at right of the LCD are the
auto exposure/autofocus lock button, rear
control dial, a lockable multi-controller, still/
movie live view controls and info button.
The Nikon D7200’s left top on the top has
a new Wi-Fi logo, which is an easy access
button to share your images on your smart
phone or tablet.
The ‘i’ button on the back gives quick
access to controls on the rear screen of the
camera. The mode dial features a lock, as
well as drive mode dial surrounding this,
also with a locking button that needs to be
pressed before the dial can be changed.
Performance
Nikon D7200 features a 24.2MP CMOS
sensor with no optical low-pass filter with Sample Image
a Multi-CAM 3500DX II 51-point AF
system, all sensitive to -3EV. With offering a
2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor, used for
3D subject tracking in AF-C to an amazing
ISO performance of 100-25,600, with ISO
51,200 and 102,400. The camera offers
a 6 fps continuous shooting with increased
buffer depth with a maximum shutter speed
of1/8000 sec. It comes with a 3.2” 1.2M dot
RGBW LCD display, 1080/60p video, with
clean output over HDMI and Flat Picture
Control. It offers a Dual SD card slots with
Wi-Fi via NFC.
The skin tones processed in the camera
are extremely nice and neat, with excellent
may 2015 85
when shooting at extreme ISO25600 with
Specifications less noise. Built-in HDR works to extend
Effective pixels 24.2 million the tonal and exposure range of a single
image by recording sequential exposures
Image Sensor 23.5 x 15.6 mm CMOS sensor and blending them together in order to gain
Processor Expeed 4 greater highlight and shadow details with an
ISO 100– 25600, Auto ISO sensitivity control available extended range of mid-tones. This mode
is best suited for working with stationary
Maximum shutter 1/8000 sec subjects and if you are a serious landscape
speed
photographer.
Number of focus 51
points ISO Performance
Screen 3.2” TFT LCD screen The test was performed with the
Video Full HD 1,920x1,080 / 60 fps (1.3x image area only) in-camera ISO sensitivity switched off
in the Nikon D7200. Lower sensitivity
Battery EN-EL15 Lithium-ion Battery settings, that is from ISO 100- 800 the
Size 5.4 in. (135.5 mm) x 4.2 in. (106.5 mm) x 3.0 in. (76 camera handled noise and artifacts quite
mm) effectively. But ISO 3200 and above the
Weight 23.9 oz. (675 g) camera body only noise increased gradually visible upon digital
magnification at 100%, but the image was
still usable. Considerable amount of noise
results in the portrait shots. Although, a also the colour saturation is upto the Nikon and artifacts crept in at ISO6400 and so on.
direct flash in a portrait shot can cause standards. One of the most selling points of From ISO 12800 the image suffered a loss
red eye, we did not see anything while the camera is the thing of the camera in low in detail and sharpness and became unus-
shooting on the D7200. Camera delivers light which was quite impressive, and which able at ISO25600.
good amount of details in the picture and should make shooting decent images even
Sample Image

ISO 100 (100% Crop) ISO 400 (100% Crop) ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) ISO 6400 (100% Crop) ISO 12800 (100% Crop)
Sample Image Conclusion

Look, body and feel rating
With amazing image quality in
Though there’s nothing much every aspect, the Nikon D7200
changed on this front from the D7100, performs really well. There are
the build is still strong. However, we more than enough updates from
expected the 7200 to have more. the previous model. However,
upgrading from a Nikon S7100
is a good option or not is a
tricky question. For those with
the D7000, the D7200 would
make an excellent upgrade,
Image Quality
but for owners of the D7100,
The processor upgrade and the you may want to wait for the
sensor gave in some quality results on next one. If you have an older
higher apertures, although it could have camera or other Nikon lenses,
then the Nikon D7200 is the
been better.
best performing APS-C sensor
Nikon camera to date and
offers a compelling package of
features, with a solid weather-
sealed body and a great 3.2-inch
Overall rating screen.
If you are upgrading from a basic
start up model this is a good buy. If you
already have a 7100, you should wait for
the next launch.
TexT and images:
abhishek desai
may 2015 87
CARD Review
SanDisk iXpand
Flash Drive Review
The non-capability of iOS devices to be able to expand their memory capacity has been a teething issue
for many consumers since the launch of these devices. But with Samsung and some other manufacturers
also following the same route with the launch of their recent Galaxy series, probably Apple has something
going for themselves. Having said that, I have found many users complaining about the handicap of
iPhones memory capacity, especially if it’s the base version of 16GB. And SanDisk believes they have the
answer to this problem. The company recently launched its iXpand Flash Drive which gives the apple
users an external memory device option.
We were at the launch and got our hands onto one and thought it would be great to review it.
Parameters
Since we haven’t reviewed a device like this before, there’s no real full-proof manner in which it can
be reviewed. So we will stick to the combination of our regular parameters and add some other
ones.
• Design, Build Quality and Ease-of-Use (Since that is something important to Apple users)
• Performance
• Price

drain a lot of battery juice.
What we didn’t like
While there’s a lot to like about it, there
are also some red flags that we thought
were important.
Apart from the transfer speeds what’s
Transfer time: PC to iXpand interesting is that iXpand houses a tiny
pre-charged battery in its body in order
to boost transfer speeds. Now this is
something new since most external
devices use the host device to power up.
But this is in-line with Apple’s norms that
no external device can drain battery juice
What it is from its iOS devices. Although the battery
In simple words, it’s a flash drive that Transfer time: iXpand to Apple iPad discharges slowly, once drained it needs
connects to your iOS device and allows to be charged before it can be used.
you to back up and transfer your data introductory steps. You have to hand it to Due to the Apple architecture any file
to-and-fro to the computer. But there’s SanDisk in this department where they that is transferred from the drive to the
more than what meets the eye. Apart have kept the process extremely simple phone or vice-versa can only be accessed
from allowing you to transfer data from and minimalistic. through the iXpand Sync app, and your
your phone to the PC it also works as Performance iOS device won’t take a back up of that
an external device which can be used to We put iXpand through a variety of tests data when you sync it in iTunes.
access files on the go. to check its performance and, simply put, Conclusion
Compatibility the flash drive passed with flying colours. Overall the iXpand Flash Drive is
It is compatible with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 While running it through benchmarking tests great. It’s fast, simple to use and, most
Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad using CrystalDiskMark, the drive gave read importantly, provides an external option
Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, iPad and write speeds of 73.84 mbps and 69.62 to the iOS ecosystem, which has been
mini running iOS 8 or iOS 7. mbps, respectively. This is considerably missing for a long time. It also gives
Design, Look and User Interface faster than most of the flash drives out there. the user an option to secure any data
Apple has always focused and marketed Naturally, the performance is boosted with through password encryption. But while
the design elements of their products a the tiny battery that the company has put in these things are working for it, there are
lot, and lets be honest, they have been iXpand to comply with the Apple norms. also some naysayers, like the battery,
good-looking. So in-line with the same There was no lag while playing the no back-up and most importantly the
trends SanDisk has paid attention to this videos or accessing any files from the drive. price. The drive is available in 16GB,
aspect as well while designing the iXpand Except that any video played from my 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities At
Flash Drive. The design is simple, clean and download folder which was transferred `4,490, `5,990, `7,990 and `11,490
stylish, although it’s a lot bulkier than most from the drive to the ios device had a white respectively.
of the flash drives in the market. border. All in all if you are willing to spend
The user interface is simple. One has The iXpand drive comes pre-charged then it is a great device that provides
to download the SanDisk iXpand Sync at 100% battery level and it didn’t seem to good performance and options to free up
app from the App Store and plug the drive drain out easily either. We used it to and your memory space.
in and you are good to go after a few fro over the weekend and it didn’t seem to TEXT: BhAvyA DEsAi
may 2015 89
SMARTPHONE REVIEW
Honor 6 Plus
E
PriC 99
`26,4
H Specifications
uawei recently launched their new
brand phone Honor 6 Plus. It was
said that that this launch would Hardware • USB:USB 2.0, 480 Mbit/s
change the way we look at phone cameras • Processor: Hisilicon Kirin 925 CPU, • Frequency:4G TDDB40+FDD B3
and it did! The Honor 6 Plus is a 5.5-inch A15 1.8 GHz quad-core+A7 1.3 GHz 3G UMTS900/2100
quad-core 2G GSM 900/1800/1900
phone, falling under the category which is • GPU: Mali-T628 MP4
popularly known with the term “Phablet”. • Dimensions: 150.46 mm (L) x 75.68 Camera
The phone has metal accents and dual 8MP mm (W) x 7.5 mm (T) • Primary Camera:Dual 8 MP, 3264 x
• External Interface: Standard micro 2448 pixels, Auto Focus, Dual-LED
cameras on the back. It features Huawei’s USB, microSD card Flash
own Kirin 925 octa-core processor with an • Weight: 165 g (including battery) • Features:Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus,
integrated GPU, and packs oodles of power • SIM Card interface: Micro SIM card Face Detection, HDR
• TouchMulti-touch sensitive screen • Video:1080p@30fps
to take on some of the best phones available • Secondary Camera:8 MP FF Camera,
right now in the market. We got hold of one Display 1080p@30fps
of these to review it thoroughly for you, let’s • Size: 5.5 inches
• Type: IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen Storage
see how it fared. • Color: 16.7 M colors • ROM:32 GB (User available 25 GB)
• Resolution: FHD 1920×1080, 401 ppi • RAM:3 GB
Design and hardware • External Memory Support:microSD
Connectivity card (up to 128 GB)
The 6 Plus looks pretty smart and solid. • Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR Battery
The front looks fairly plain and most of it is • Wifi:802.11b/g/n, 2.4G/5G, Wifi Direct, • Battery:Non-removable Li-Po 3600
taken up by the 5.5-inch screen. The lack of Hotspot mAh battery
• GPS:GPS/AGPS/Glonass/Beidou
main function button on the front makes it a
little difficult at first to get used to the interface.
On the right side, you’ll find a volume you can place sideways. Honor says, “The looks sharp. The dual rear cameras, metal
button, power button and two identical glass fibre back is extremely durable and is trim on both sides and minimalist speaker
slots — one for your 4G Micro-SIM and the stronger than military-grade helmets.” The 6 port are all well designed and nicely finished.
other for a MicroSD card or a nano-SIM that Plus weighs 165g. From the back, the 6 Plus Overall, it’s a good looking device.

Sample Image Sample Image
Sound, Display and features about the cameras. It has an 8-megapixel Google’s Camera app, but is much easier
The 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch Full HD front camera which works way better and faster to work with and produces
display. The brightness of the screen is than an 8-MP usual resolution should, and significantly better results.
pretty less compared to other phones in also a dual 8-megapixel camera behind The rear cameras perform well in low
the market but its sharp, clear and works which gives you a power packed mega light situations. The colours reproduced
well enough in the sunlight. The speaker is resolution. This phone captures amazing are beautiful and the image is sharp. The
located on the back near the bottom left bright pictures even given in any low light front camera is surprisingly good. There’s
corner, and it is not very loud. The 6 Plus condition. Colours are fairly accurate, really no situation where you’ll need
supports dual-band 4G, and supposedly details are crisp and the cameras do a good 8-megapixel selfies, but you could certainly
can handle two SIM cards as well. Besides job of handling highlights and shadows. The use a clear image with sharp details, and
the Micro SIM that goes in its own slot, camera app is also really quick, so you don’t the 6 Plus’ front shooter delivers just that
the MicroSD slot can also accommodate have to worry about losing a frame if you pretty well.
a nano SIM placed sideways, this slot does are planning on a multiple frame shot. The
support high-capacity MicroSD cards and dual camera setup allows you to shoot in Conclusion
allows to 128GB more expandable space. Wide Aperture mode, where you can set The Honor 6 Plus is a great phone with
That’s over and above the 32GB of internal the aperture to get the amount of depth powerful cameras, good build quality and
storage, of which you can use 25GB to of field you want – which looks superficial a decent user experience. However, it’s
stash your files and install apps. There’s also after a certain value. However, if it’s used priced at about `26,499, which seems
a Suspend on-screen button that brings the creatively, it can help you create amazing a little overpriced, compared to other
home/menu/back buttons into a circular composition by letting you easily separate models in the market. That being said, the
pop-up menu that you can place anywhere your background from your subject in the camera is really quite good and you’ll be
you like. You can also lock the screen and foreground. able to store loads of photos, movies and
clear apps with a tap or two from the While this feature lets you go as music with a high-capacity memory card.
notification area. wide as 0.95, we recommend you stick The 6 Plus is available in black, white and
Now that we have discussed almost with values close to 2.0, as anything less a slightly more expensive gold version. If
every aspect of the phone let’s move on to makes portions of images look like they’ve you’re looking for a solid shooter, this is a
the main function and the best aspect that been blurred out manually, making it look great buy.
we found in the phone – the camera. superficial, as we mentioned before. You
can also adjust the focus and aperture after
Camera shooting a picture in Wide Aperture mode. TEXT and imagEs:
Like its predecessor, the 6 Plus is all This is similar to the Lens Blur feature in ushma dhamdhErE
may 2015 91
PhotoScape
Send in your entries to photoscape at asianphotographyindia@gmail.com
Picture by: Sadiqur Rahman

Camera: Nikon D5100
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec
F-Number: F/8
Focal length: 20mm
ISO: 200

The Pic of the
Month in the
PHOTOSCAPE
ea
section will receiv
gift from Uniross
Û
Picture by: Avishek Mal
Camera: Nikon D7000
F-Number: F/16
Focal length: 18mm
ISO: 100

Picture by: P. N. Nithin
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
F-Number: F/4
Focal length: 30mm
ISO: 100
Û
Picture by: Sayantani Basu
Camera: Nikon D5200
F-Number: F/5.6
Focal length: 55mm
ISO: 400
may 2015 93
Û
Picture by: Ankit Maheshwary
Camera: N/A
Shutter speed: N/A
F-Number: N/A
Focal length: N/A
ISO: N/A

Picture by: Sanjeev Kr
F-Number: F/8
Focal length: 200 mm
ISO: 100
Û
Picture by: Debajit Bose
F-Number: F/8
Focal length: 17 mm
ISO: 400

The Pic of the
Month in the
PHOTOSCAPE
ea
section will receiv
gift from Uniross
Picture by: M S Sekhon

Picture by: Aravind Krish
Camera: N/A
Camera: Nikon D5100
Shutter speed: N/A
F-Number: N/A
F-Number: F/2.5
Focal length: N/A
Focal length: 35mm
ISO: N/A
ISO: 200

Picture by: Chandan Kumar Mukherjee
F-Number: F/9
Focal length: 21mm
ISO: 640
may 2015 95
Photomontage Looking to get your portfolio featured??
Send your entry to asianphotographyindia@gmail.com and tell us why we should feature it
Every year in Kolkata The Statesman organises a rally of Vintage Classic Cars. The picture of the beautiful old cars is very common to us.
This year I also went there to shoot something in a different approach. As I have always loved Abstract colors and framing, I tried to shoot
the frame with enriched colours from the cars which make for a different abstract pattern. All these frames display lines & curvature which
gives an ultimate abstract feeling.
- Avishek Das, West Bengal

The Featured
portfolio in the
PHOTOMONTAGE
ea
section will receiv
gift from U niro ss
MAY 2015 97

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The 3rd edition of Artistique is back and it’s even bigger this time!

TIPS & TECHS

Special Audience Publications Pvt. Ltd. and ASIAN PHOTOGRAPHY AND

MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com 3

News Tips and Techs

Tips from The pros

every travel photographer

What sort of preparation is required

aRNDT few things in mind. A portrait

if a little of the environment is

40 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com May 2015 41

Photo: DaviDe D’amico

48 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com May 2015 49

Tips & Techs

66 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com May 2015 67

Photo: Ushma Dhamdhere

Guide to getting a perfect to your picture series, if you are planning

Camera Reviews Smart Phone Review

6 MAY 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Readers’ Comments and Suggestions...

Dear Mohit, Dear Editor,

4-150mm Tamron F/3.5-5.8 Di III

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Canon India visions 100 Crore revenue by

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Sony launches The One School Goa adds

Asus Zenfone 2 launched in India starting at `12,999

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Dear Sir, Dear Suresh,

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What role does post-processing

What would you like to advice an

Which are some of your favourite locations

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What are the challenges and the

What role does post-processing play in travel

What would you like to advise an upcoming

26 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Why your interest in travel

Which are some of your favourite

28 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

What are some of the key things

30 may 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Off to the shores of

34 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

38 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

TEXT and imagEs: purva damlE

40 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

photographers tend to shoot a

mornings. You can include human elements

42 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

festivities you can judge and

the 1980s you could see people wearing dhoti-

44 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

46 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

48 May 2015 www.asianphotographyindia.com

Photo: roberto ferrari

Photo: PurvA DAmle

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Photo: Steve D’SouzA

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